Lemon Lilac Loaf Cake

It is the middle of May, and we are grateful for joining our friends in their lovely countryside homestead in France. This place is a piece of heaven on earth; you can find gorgeous flowers, enjoy the sunshine under the shade of ancient trees, and listen to the birds chanting.

Since the weather is beautiful, we set up a dining table in the garden, where we all sit, chat, and share fine food, of course. I adore preparing and sharing meals; it brings me delight. There is a food lab in the garden, and that is where we all gather and prepare the meals. I value this part of the day because we have meaningful conversations and discover each other's culture by sharing stories, traditions, musics, and recipes.

In front of the lab, there is a beautiful pale purple Lilac shrub (Yass-e-khosheyi in Farsi) which has been my source of inspiration for this recipe. The fragrance of the Lilac is sweet and present, and I believe it creates a lovely pair with the tanginess of lemon. Since we have access to local products from the farm, I used yogurt from goat's milk, but if you cannot find goat yogurt, you can substitute it with full-fat natural yogurt.

This cake will keep well for three days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Ingredients

For the cake

200 grams cake flour, sifted

210 grams superfine sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

125 grams butter, at room temperature

2 medium free-range eggs, at room temperature

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

125 ml goat's milk yogurt

1 tsp vanilla purée

2 tbsp lemon juice

Grated zest of two unwaxed lemons

For the lilac syrup

1 Lilac stem

150 grams sugar

150 ml water

Few drops of lemon juice

Method

To make the Lilac syrup

Detach the Lilac blossoms and make sure there are no green stems tied. Rinse the flowers with cold water and place them in a clean glass jar.

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for two minutes, then remove from heat and add the lemon juice.

Carefully pour the lukewarm syrup into the jar of lilacs. Let the syrup on the counter for two hours, and then put it in the fridge for 18 to 24 hours. Stream the syrup through a mesh sieve and keep it refrigerated.

To make the cake

Preheat the oven to 170 C. Grease a loaf pan with butter, and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Sift the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Depending on your mixer, this step usually takes 4-8 minutes. Add the eggs, and the egg yolk one at a time, until thoroughly mixed. Add the vanilla purée.

Gently fold the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating between the dry mixture and the goat's milk yogurt. Add the lemon juice and give the batter a gentle stir. Do not over-mix.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool down for 10 minutes. Make some small holes in the cake with a toothpick, and pour a few tablespoons of the Lilac syrup over. Decorate with Lilac flowers, if desired.

Notes

You can read this brief article about goat's milk yogurt on Bon Appetit if you are interested.

If you cannot find Lilacs, there is no problem. You can dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and enjoy.