Blue Violet & Almond Tea Cake

This Blue Violet & Almond Tea Cake is easy to make and perfect for Easter, Passover, Mother's Day Brunch or a Springtime Tea.

This simple almond flour cake is naturally gluten-free and features the wild Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia). If you don't use lawn chemicals, you likely have Common Blue Violet growing in your lawn or elsewhere in your neighborhood. 

Unlike the sweet violet, from which we get violet flavor, the Common Blue Violet has nary any flavor beyond mild green and slightly sweet (think Bibb Lettuce).  But this edible "weed" makes a beautiful addition—adding interest and dimension—to baked goods, cocktails, and salads. To add the natural candied violet flavor we desire, we'll use our Violet Floral Elixir.

RECIPE

Cake

4 Whole Eggs

1/4 C Olive Oil*

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Almond Extract

2 Tbsp Violet Floral Elixir

1/2 C Maple Syrup**

2 C Almond Flour (blanched and finely ground)

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

~ 2 Tbsp Violet Flowers (finely chopped and with most of the knobby little green petioles removed)

Glaze

1/2 C Confectioner's Sugar

1/2 tsp Butterfly Pea Flower Powder

2 Tbsp Violet Floral Elixir

1 tsp Lemon Juice

TO MAKE CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together eggs, oil, extracts, violet elixir, and maple syrup.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add dry to wet ingredients and stir until uniform.
5. Fold in chopped violets.
6. Pour into loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. This took 35 minutes in my oven. I began checking at 25 minutes and had to put foil over the top of cake for the last 10 minutes to prevent over-browning.

TO MAKE GLAZE

1. Whisk together confectioner's sugar and butterfly pea flower powder.
2. Slowly add Violet Elixir and whisk.
3. Stir in lemon juice. Mixture will turn from blue to violet in color.
4. Pour glaze over fully cooled cake. Garnish with fresh violets.

* I've grown to appreciate the flavor EVOO imparts to baked goods. You can use a lighter oil if you prefer.

** I use maple syrup in my baked goods to lower the glycemic index. You can use a sweetener of your choice. Since maple syrup contains water, if you're using a granulated sweetener, you may want to add 1-2 Tbsp water.