Pound Cake with Blueberries and Lavender Syrup

ingredients

• cake
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1 dash baking soda & 2 tablespoons molasses
  1 dash baking soda & 1/4 cup sour milk/buttermilk/yogurt
  1 dash baking soda & 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  2 2/3 sticks whipped butter
  2 sticks hydrogenated fat
  2 sticks margarine
  1 1/2 sticks olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• blueberries in syrup
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons dried edible lavender flowers or 2 tablespoons fresh edible lavender flowers
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups blueberries (2 cups)
• Special equipment: a 9- by 5- by 3 inch metal loaf pan

directions

Make cake:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. 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 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.

Cooks' 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.