Sweet Basil

The basil in Sandy Goehring's pot of herbs is nearly as tall as I am and marvelously fragrant (as are the sage, rosemary, and thyme planted around it). I googled "what to do with fresh basil besides pesto" to find an April 2011 Chowhound conversation about everything from caprese salad to burger seasoning to stir fries and even a Basil Lemon Cake. Doesn't this sound luscious? Basil Lemon Cake 2 1/2 cups cake flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs beaten 1/2 cup chopped basil 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk berries, whipped cream or ice cream preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil a 9" springform pan Medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt Place butter an sugar in a large bowl and beat till creamy. Add eggs, basil, zest and vanilla. Beat till blended. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk (3 batches) and mix on low till smooth. Pour into pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. It gets better the next day too, when the citrus flavor penetrates even more.