GINGER HONEY CAKE

GINGER HONEY CAKE

300g honey
75g unsalted butter, melted
50ml sunflower oil
3 medium eggs
400g stem ginger, chopped
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon or coriander
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Extra butter and honey, for finishing

Method

Line the base and sides of a small loaf tin with baking parchment.
Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/335F/gas mark 3.

Put the honey in a bowl, add melted butter, oil and eggs, then beat until smooth.
Stir in the chopped ginger, grated ginger and spices, add the flour and baking powder, stir well until everything is evenly mixed, then spoon into the tin.
Take small slivers of butter and lay them centrally along the length of the mixture. This will force the cake to crack along the butter line.
Bake for about 70-80 minutes undisturbed, as the cake is slightly fragile and prone to collapsing until the mixture sets.
Use a skewer to check that the centre is baked.
 It will burn on top slightly, or at least go very dark. This is due to all that honey, and for me, it's part of the cake's charm.

POPPYSEED CAKE WITH LEMON TOPPING

POPPYSEED CAKE WITH LEMON TOPPING

Ingredients

180g unsalted butter, softened
180g white spelt flour, sifted
3 large free-range eggs
1 tsp baking powder
180g maple syrup or honey
85g poppyseeds

For the topping

250g cream cheese or mascarpone
the finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus extra pared lemon zest to decorate (optional)
½ tsp vanilla extract
30g maple syrup or honey

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3.

Grease and flour a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin.

Method

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until pale and fluffy.
 Add 2-3 tablespoons of the flour and beat in the eggs, one at a time.
 Continue to beat until you have a light, fluffy mixture (if it looks as if it is curdling, add another tablespoon of flour).
Fold in the remaining flour and the baking powder, add the maple syrup and the poppy seeds and stir to combine.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
 Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake has cooled, beat together all the ingredients for the topping and spread it over the surface using a palette knife.
 Sprinkle with pared lemon zest, if using.