Lavender cake...coffee cake...

Take a normal sponge cake recipe: equal weights of butter/margarine, flour, sugar and eggs and a tad extra baking powder if required - and add a handful of washed, chopped lavender.  A ring tin is the best!

Do the same for coffee cake, leaving out the lavender and adding a tablespoon or two of boiling hot water with at least a teaspoon of instant coffee dissolved in it. Fill layers and ice the top with butter icing, coffee flavoured in the same way....

And then there is a coconut cake: the same mixture with a handful/half cup of desiccated coconut mixed in, iced with butter icing flavoured with desiccated coconut too...

Lavender cake

• 125g (4oz) caster sugar
• 125g (4oz) self-raising flour
• 2tbsp lavender flowers, fresh or dried
• 125g (4oz) butter, softened
• 2 medium eggs
• 2tbsp milk

For the topping:

• 350g (12oz) fondant icing sugar
• Purple, violet or lilac liquid or paste food colouring
• 12 sprigs of lavender
• 12-hole bun tray, lined with paper bun cases

Method

1. Set the oven to gas mark 5 or 190°C. Tip the sugar and flour into the bowl of a food processor, add the lavender flowers and whizz to grind the flowers a little. Sift the mixture into a mixing bowl, then discard the pieces of flower left in the sieve.
2. Add the butter, eggs and milk to the bowl and beat the mixture until smooth then spoon it into the paper cases in the bun tray. Bake the cakes in the centre of the oven for 15-18 mins, or until they have risen and are just firm to the touch. Remove the cakes from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
3. To make the topping, sift the fondant icing sugar into a bowl and then beat in 4-6tbsp cold water to give a thick, glossy icing. Add some food colouring to the icing to give it a lilac colour, mixing well so that it's not streaky. Use a small palette knife to spread some icing over the top of each cake and, before the icing sets, place a sprig of lavender on top of each cake. Leave the icing to set before serving.