Blog-checking lines: For the July Daring Bakers Challenge, Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to bake a cake. But not just any cake; she asked us to add in a special surprise for our eyes as well as our taste buds! I made a lavender surprise cake.
Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Lavender Surprise Cake ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X
The other day I was driving up the road and saw a gentleman pushing a shopping trolley. This is quite a common occurrence where I work as we have a second hand scrap metal dealer close to our office. The trolley pushers collect scrap metal and other recyclables from around the area and take it to the dealer for some money. This is the only income they earn and in my mind at least they are doing something to earn a wage. But, the surprise in the trolley was not the scrap metal, but the children in the trolley. My first thought was “oh sweet’, and then I realized that the children were being pushed around because the probably had no where else to be. They were not in school, being looked after in a safe environment, and probably their parents’ are homeless. We have a new neighbourhood watch in our area and they have taken to confiscating these trolleys. Basically they are taking away the persons only means of earning a livelihood, and in the case of the person I saw, his only means of keeping his children with him, and safe, while he works. I find this victimisation so unnecessary and wish those people doing the confiscating would think of proactive ways to give these people a hand up, rather than kick them down! We have one gentleman who collects our scrap metal once a week. He saves us the hassle of getting rid of it, and he earns himself money for food – a basic most people take for granted.
My lavender surprise cake was just that, a surprise. I had no idea what to expect when I cut it open and I was so impressed with how it worked out! You don’t have to use purple food colouring like I did, I just wanted something to match my blog. I am sure if you try this with any colour combination it will work out just as well, and you too will be surprised.
Lavender Surprise Cake
Ingredients
- 350 g flour
- 300 g fructose
- 5 mls bicarbonate of soda
- 5 mls baking powder
- 5 mls salt
- 250 mls buttermilk
- 375 mls canola oil
- 5 mls lavender vinegar (you can use any vinegar)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2.5 mls lavender petals (if you cannot find these use rose petals or even fresh herbs)
- 5 drop gel food colouring of your choice
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160° Celsius
- Spray a bundt tin if it is not non stick
- Sieve the flour, fructose, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl
- In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, oil, vinegar and eggs
- Add these to the dry ingredients and mix until combined
- Pour off half the batter into the bowl you used for the wet ingredients
- To one half add the lavender petals and mix in well
- To the other half mix in the food colouring and mix in well
- Pour the coloured batter into the tin and make sure it is evenly distributed
- Now pour the lavender batter into the tin
- Use a skewer and lightly mix in the batters together – you just barely want to see some streaks
- Bake for an hour
- Remove from the oven and turn out and leave to cool completely before cutting
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
What I blogged:
- two years ago – Sous Vide Crayfish Tails
- three years ago – Tomato And Aubergine Chutney
- four years ago – Chicken Stuffed With Feta, Sun Dried Tomatoes And Coriander, Wrapped In Bacon
Oh, what a pretty cake – Tandy – and I bet it tastes great using that lavender vinegar I see:)
I had to find a good first use for the vinegar Rachel, and it tasted amazing 🙂
I love surprises! This is a neat idea. Love the pretty purple colour!
Thanks Jessica 🙂
So very pretty indeed! I just love the flavour of lavender- yummo 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Breaks your heart for the children and the parent or parents who must try to provide for them. Thanks for sharing this story and reminding us to help others as often as we can. Am so glad you too are concerned.
thank you for taking the time out to read this Joyce 🙂
So pretty Tandy! This is a perfect summary of your blog always a surprise around every corner and a fun read. Lavender vinegar is new to me. Take Care, BAM
Thank you so much for this comment BAM 🙂
I agree with you about giving someone a hand up instead of kicking them down. We rarely take the time to find out their stories but are happy to judge people on what we see. The cake is so pretty! 🙂 xx
I am always saddened when I see people treat those less fortunate as if they are dangerous or diseased xxx
I am a HUGE fan of any cakes or recipes with lavender in them! This looks fabulous Tandy! Karen
Thanks Karen – it suits your blog as well 🙂
A sad world we live in! I love the cake, what a great surprise when you cut it. Take care 🙂
Thanks Sharon xox
You’re so right Tandy, that’s a very compassionate way to see things too. I think that some people don’t really consider the ramifications of new rules and how it affects others. This cake looks wonderful and I love the colour surprise inside 😀
I think some people just try and see the bad in others!
So sad, if only the whole world had the same attitude as you, if we all helped, there would be no poverty or hunger.
That would be an ideal world!
Now that indeed was a lovely surprise inside. I love bundt cakes and I’m sure your lavender cake must have been as good as it looks.
It was Karen!
I love that this cake matches your blog. Such a fun surprise!
Thank you 🙂
Thank you for sharing this story, it’s so easy to forget that not everyone is so fortunate as we are. Cake looks amazing!
Thanks Marta for taking the time to read it 🙂
This cake is beautiful, stunning visual appeal! It’s funny that we live in such different parts of the part, and even here, people drive around on garage day to pick up scrap metal to make a profit, and they do well at this! We have a scrapyard around the corner and sometimes scrap our own.
We are all tied together by the universality of life 🙂
Hi Tandy, well said about giving others a hand up and not down!!!! Now for your lovely cake, my lavender bush is growing like mad. Would love to make this. It’s just the purple part I use right?
You just use the beautiful purple petals. And you can dry them to keep for use during the entire year 🙂
I think it’s a little extreme to confiscate the collectors’ carts. We have people here in New York that push carts around, raiding bins for empty bottles and cans so they can collect the tax deposit (5-10 cents per item). It’s only really an issue when they occasionally don’t put the lid of the bin back on (rain/rats/ and other awful things can get in) or they throw the things they don’t want on the ground.
Otherwise, I don’t see that they’re doing any harm. Everybody needs a source of income. I agree that the folks out in your neighborhood shouldn’t just be kicked down like that.
The first time I became aware of the plight of the homeless was in 1988 when I was in New York – living in a wealthy borough and having people sleeping rough made it all very real to me!
Tandy, the wonderful way you told your story today is a perfect meta-telling of it all: the expected (or at least hoped-for) outcome of creating a recipe with what should be for diners an charmingly, disarmingly UNexpected outcome when they cut into, then bite into the cake…contrasted with this, the intent to “clean up the neighborhood” apparent in confiscating the trolleys having the UNintended consequence of depriving the homeless of not only the means of making their paltry portion of a living but also of childcare means, possibly of home itself, and most ironically of all, of the tool and motivation to clean up the neighborhood by removing recyclables that would otherwise be waste or trash. That’s a lot to pack into one post! Well done.
xo
Kathryn
Thank you Kathryn, and thank you for the insightful comment 🙂
Pretty!
Thank you!
Great looking middle to the cake and lavender is in season right now so this sounds perfect.
Thank you Caroline 🙂
Too often people want to sweep away the less fortunate so they don’t have to look at them and feel any responsibility to help. Some people have a very rough time keeping food on the table and it’s not because of laziness or lack of effort. They just weren’t born in the right spot.
This cake is really beautiful. I can only imagine the taste!
Thank you Maureen for the heartfelt comment and the compliment 🙂
What a gorgeous colour inside this cake, delicious and awesome 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you Uru 🙂
Looks at those colours! This calls for a bite!!!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
I was most impressed with the colours as well 🙂
The scene you saw is both beautiful and sad. How lovely of the father to have his children with him, safe and sound, although the circumstances are clearly less than ideal.
So true Krista 🙂
I’m a big chocolate cake fan, but this is something I’d try in a heartbeat – love lavender! And it looks so pretty 🙂
I also wish people would work together to help one another and look a little deeper instead of just doing what society deems acceptable.
Thanks for the compliment Melanie – you are welcome any time to pop in for a test of the weeks baking. It is the local SW brigade that are taking away these trolleys – so sad!
How beautiful! So glad the “surprise” worked out in the end!
Me too!
This is so pretty! I’d love a slice for breakfast right now 🙂
Thank you Bianca 🙂
I’ve never heard of lavender vinegar, but it sure made for a pretty cake! That’s an incredible story about the man and his cart. I can’t believe anyone would spend their time bothering about taking that away from him. Sounds like he is doing a service for the community! 🙁
It is horrid what people who are more fortunate do to others that are less so!
I’ve never seen lavender vinegar. Do you make that? I love the idea of using lavender in a sweet recipe.
I didn’t make it Cindy, but I shall make some flavoured vinegar and post a recipe 🙂
Such a pretty cake, and I imagine very tasty.
Thank you Karen 🙂