Peach Tea Cakes with Lavender-Infused Honey
This recipe is a creative way to use summer’s bounty by incorporating seasonal fruit and herbs and naturally sweetening it with honey. I chose peaches largely because we still had some on hand and because I love the combination of peaches and honey. I also wanted to incorporate some of my fresh herbs so lavender seemed like a fitting choice. The use of lavender in this recipe is definitely on the subtle side so if you’re worried about a big kick of lavender, worry not! If you have never tried herb-infused honey, I highly recommend it. It’s a simple way to add flavor to the honey and can be used in baked goods like this or just added to your cup of tea. These tea cakes are the perfect summer treat and I hope you give them a try. Enjoy!
Makes 12 tea cakes (and a few extra mini cakes)
Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh lavender leaves, roughly chopped
300 g (1 cup) honey
2 peaches, peeled and diced into small cubes
113 g (1 stick, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp.
125 g (1/2 cup) plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temp.
240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a muffin pan.
In a small saucepan, combine the honey and the lavender leaves over medium-low heat. Stir the leaves throughout the honey and let it infuse together for about 5-7 minutes - you want the honey to be liquidy and to be just on the verge of bubbling/boiling when you take it off the heat. Pour the mixture through a strainer to separate out the leaves and allow the honey to cool.
In this same saucepan, add your chopped, peeled peaches and cook on medium-low until the peaches have started to break down - about 5-10 minutes. Let cool.
In a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), beat together the butter, honey, yogurt, and vanilla extract until well combined (3-5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this flour mixture to the batter and mix until combined.
Next, add a bit of batter to the bottom of each cup in the pan (about 1/3 full), then top with a spoonful of peaches, and then top with more batter so that each is just about full (i.e., slightly below the rim). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
