Tangerine lavender coffee cake
Instructions:
- 4 or 5 tangerines;
- 1 cup golden or dark raisins;
- 1½ cups white whole wheat flour (6½ ounces);
- ½ cup fine cornmeal, preferably stone-ground (2 ounces);
- ¼ cup sugar;
- 2 teaspoons baking powder;
- 2 teaspoons dried lavender buds;
- ½ teaspoon baking soda;
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt;
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature;
- ½ cup honey;
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil;
- ½ cup lowfat buttermilk;
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract;
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square glass baking dish or coat with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and lightly butter the paper as well. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out excess.
- Finely grate the zest of the tangerines until you have 1 tablespoon. Squeeze the fruit to get ½ cup juice. Set zest and juice aside. In a small bowl, toss the raisins with 1 tablespoon of the white whole wheat flour.
- Whisk together the remaining white whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, lavender, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs to blend. Gradually whisk in the honey until it is incorporated, beating quite vigorously, followed by the olive oil, about 1 minute. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, tangerine juice, zest, and vanilla extract, and stir until smooth; gradually whisk into the egg mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in 2 additions, stirring well in between with a rubber spatula until just blended. Fold in the raisins. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake until the cake is golden and a cake taster or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a crumb or two, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. To unmold the cake, loosen around the edges with a small sharp knife and invert out of the pan onto a flat plate or a small square tray. Remove the parchment paper and invert again onto a wire rack to cool completely, right side up. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 12 squares.
- TO VARY IT: Use ½ cup juice and 1 tablespoon zest from 1 grapefruit (preferably Ruby Red) instead of tangerines, or flavor the cake with orange zest and juice.