This Lemon and Thyme Cake is one of my favorite cakes. I use my Vanilla Cake recipe from my cookbook as the base for this cake. Here’s the link to my cookbook on Amazon: Mariooch’s Kitchen Food That Will Gather Your Family My cookbook is also available on Ibooks on the Apple Store!

I truly love this cake because the lemon and thyme are not overpowering and there is a nice balance between sweet and savory. If you are not going to ice the cake, then adding a little sugar to the top of the cake before baking it will ensure the top of the cake caramelizes and has a bit of a crunch. You can go all out and decorate like I did with your favorite icing and add some garnish. If you plan on icing it – do a two layer cake using two 6-inch pans or double this recipe and you may use two-10 inch pans.  A store-bought or homemade vanilla icing is a great compliment to this cake as is a cream cheese icing and filing. I have been experimenting lately and I really like a Mascarpone filing infused with lavender and served with warmed berry sauce -see photo!

Here are the directions:

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. You may use a 10-inch cake pan or two-6 inch cake pans if you are layering the cakes. Prepare your pan(s) with parchment paper on the bottom, and butter and flour on the sides, so the cake won’t stick. The parchment paper is the way to go, it will ensure the cake will slide right out of the pan! Works every time.

Please refer to my Vanilla Cake Recipe in my cookbook. You will adjust that recipe by omitting vegetable oil and using 2/3 cup olive oil. It is also adapted because instead of using 3 teaspoons vanilla, you will only need 2 teaspoons vanilla. Optional in lieu of cream cheese use the Mascarpone cheese.

Prepare your dry ingredients first. Mix your cake flour, and baking soda and a little ground sea salt and set those aside. Then prepare your wet ingredients by following the ingredients in my cookbook AND adding in a squeeze of one lemon and the zest of one lemon. In addition, add in 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, and 1/8 cup of honey. And as another option you may prepare a thyme simple syrup and add in 1-2 tablespoons as well. If so, use a little less milk as the cake requires – drizzle the milk in after you combine wet and dry ingredients in this case. Mix your wet ingredients until smoothly blended with a hand mixer.

Next, slowly add your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Once everything is fully incorporated, pour the batter into the 10-inch round or two 6-inch pans. Add a few tablespoons of white sugar to the top of the cake and little lemon zest – if you aren’t planning on icing the cake!

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until springy. Oven temps can vary.  Let it cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve as is with a hot cup of tea with honey or decorate with your favorite icing and add some garnish. It’s always nice to garnish with earthy things like lemon, lemon zest and you can even add some fresh thyme. Keep the design elements simple and elegant, but you can get more elaborate if you wish, as seen in these photos.  Please refer to my blog post titled “Rustic & Elegant Cake Designs” for more tips! Savory and sweet all in one bite! Enjoy!!!

 

Mascarpone Icing infused with Lavender:

Lavender simple syrup, Mascarpone Cheese, powdered sugar

Start by making a lavender infused simple syrup. Follow recipe for Thyme infused simple syrup but in it’s place use lavender flowers. Mix the following ingredients until you have achieved the desired sweetness and flavor: Mascarpone cheese (softened), powdered sugar, and lavender simple syrup. Mix with a hand mixer. I want to experiment with this combo and include goat cheese which I think will be amazing as well!

Blueberry Blackberry Sauce: 

1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup blackberries, sugar, lemon

Heat the blueberries and blackberries in sauce pan. They will release some water, then add in boiling water a few drizzles at-a-time.  Next, add in 2 tablespoons of sugar, tasting it as you go until you have achieved the right balance of flavors, not too tart, not too sweet. Let the spoon COOL before you taste!! And in a squeeze of lemon as well. Stir until it reduces and it a rich deep hue as seen in these photos, and the berries have broken down and have become mushy. I suppose if you don’t like the seeds from the blackberries you can strain them. This is so good! Can use with parfaits, yogurt for breakfast, on ice cream, over cake. The colors are so gorgeous!!!!

*Optional: Thyme Simple Syrup:

Thyme Infused Simple Syrup Ingredients:

1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 4 Thyme sprigs

Stir together equal parts water and sugar. Bring to a boil, stir and let sugar dissolve. Stir until liquid is translucent. This creates a simple syrup, then you can infuse flavor. Take it off the burner, add in the Thyme sprigs and give it a quick stir, and cover. Let steep until it’s cool, strain, discard Thyme and then refrigerate. Use the Thyme infused simple syrup for cocktails, cakes, cookies. Store in an air-tight container. You can use orange rind, or other garden herbs like Rosemary, Mint, Lavender flowers in place of Thyme. Will last 1-2 weeks.