Here’s an oh-so-pretty cake flavored delicately with lavender. It’s wonderful for serving in summer when lavender flowers are at their best.

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

For the cake:

• 140 g/5 oz caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 170 g/6 oz butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 140 g/5 oz self-raising flour

For the filling:

• 200 g/7 oz mascarpone cheese
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

For the icing:

• 200 g/7 oz icing sugar, sifted
• 1 large egg white
• Lilac food coloring
• Sprigs of fresh Lavender, to decorate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4. Grease two 20-cm/8-inch springform round cake tins, and line the bottoms with greaseproof paper.

Put the sugar and dried lavender flowers in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Tip into a large bowl with the butter. Beat together until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour over the mixture, then fold in.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and spread out evenly using the back of the spoon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. To make the filling, beat together the mascarpone and sugar. Spread it over one of the cooled cakes. Top with the second cake.

Put the egg white in a bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar until thick and creamy. Add a few drops of food coloring to make the icing a pretty lavender. Pour the icing over the cake, and leave to stand for a few hours to firm up. Garnish with fresh lavender springs.