Last summer I spent a lot of time making homemade fruit syrups. I spoiled myself with strawberry, plum, peach, and my favorite blueberry lavender.
It was great having those syrups on hand for making homemade sodas and cocktails, but I also poured them over everything from ice cream to pancakes. I have been waiting for the day that I could make another batch of syrup!
So, naturally when I found a bargain on organic blueberries here in Long Beach last week I took it as a sign and had to make a batch of blueberry lavender syrup to indulge myself. I have been testing all sorts of recipes with this insanely delicious syrup this week, but this is by far my families favorite so it had to be shared!
This blueberry lavender swirl quick bread looks difficult to make, but trust me when I say that if you can stir it you can make it! Your kids will go nuts for the color of the icing and your significant other will think you are a baking genius.
Blueberry Lavender Swirl Quick Bread
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- Yield: 1 loaf (10 slices) 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting the pan
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or refrigerated coconut milk (not the canned kind!)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan
- 6 tablespoons blueberry lavender syrup
- For the glaze (optional)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 3–4 tablespoons blueberry lavender syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well-combined.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla beans.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and add the melted butter. Gently fold with a silicone spatula until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan and top with 3 tablespoons of the blueberry syrup. One tablespoon at the far end of the pan, one in the middle, and one on the other side. Use a wooden skewer or a toothpick to swirl the blueberry syrup into the batter. Add the second half of the batter to the pan and gently smooth the top with a spatula. Add the 3 remaining tablespoons of blueberry syrup as described above and swirl with a wooden skewer.
- Bake, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.
- Leave the bread in the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
- To glaze the bread:
- Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and the blueberry syrup in a small bowl until completely combined and no lumps remain. If the mixture seems too thick you can add an additional teaspoon at a time of syrup to thin it out; you don’t want it to be too thin or it will all run off of the bread!
- Carefully remove the bread from the pan and place it back onto the cooling rack. Put paper towels or a plate underneath the rack to catch the drips. Pour the glaze evenly across the top of the bread and allow it to drizzle down the sides. Leave the bread undisturbed for 15-20 minutes for the glaze to set
Blueberry Lavender Syrup
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
Instructions
- Combine the blueberries, water, and sugar in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Crush the berries with a potato masher then add the lemon juice and lavender to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the liquid has reduced and the mixture has thickened.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the blueberry mixture into the strainer. Gently press on the solids with a spatula to extract all of the syrup then discard the solids. Allow the syrup to cool then store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Meg, oh my gawd this is gorgeous!! that blueberry lavender syrup! Damn, love this!!
You are so amazing Alice! Thank you 🙂
*I* think you’re a genius! Blueberry and lavender sound like a match made in heaven! I would NEVER think to pair it with a quick bread. Gah – I’m in love.
I think you are the sweetest!!! Blueberry and lavender are pretty much best friends as far as I am concerned. You really have to give it a whirl:)
Ok you make homemade fruit syrups? You are now my role model. This looks absolutely stunning!
You are so funny Jocelyn! Homemade fruit syrups are so easy and make our house smell scrumptious when they are cooking 🙂
That color is amazing!
Thank you Lisa!