Pound Cake with Blueberry Lavender Syrup

We used dried lavender in this syrup because it gives the syrup a lovely pale hue. Fresh lavender won't lend the same colour, but it does give the syrup a more powerful floral flavour.

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher or sea salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature for 30 minutes
1 tsp. lemon zest, finely grated
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature

Blueberries in Syrup:
¾ cup water
½ cup sugar
4 tsp. dried edible lavender flowers or 2 Tbsp. fresh edible lavender flowers
2 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
10 oz blueberries (1 pt)

Make the Cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Generously butter and flour loaf pan, knocking out excess flour.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 5 with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in zest and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just incorporated.

Spoon batter into loaf pan and bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, 1-1¼ hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

Prepare Blueberries in Syrup:
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in lavender, then steep 30 minutes for dried lavender or 40 minutes for fresh. Pour syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding lavender. Stir in lemon juice and blueberries.

Spoon berries and syrup over slices of cake just before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Cook's Notes: Cake can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Lavender syrup (without berries) can be made 2 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature. Add berries just before serving.