lemon rosemary drizzle cake recipe

Ingredients

200g butter

200g caster sugar

100g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

100g ground almonds

4 eggs

1 lemon

1 teaspoon rosemary needles

for the lemon syrup

2 tablespoons caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon rosemary needles

for the icing

6 tablespoons icing sugar

juice of 1 lemon

30-40 rosemary edible flowers

a 20 cm loaf tin or round cake tin can be used, lined with baking parchment.

Method:

preheat the oven to 160 C. cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer till pale and fluffy. sift the flour and baking powder together and mix with the ground almonds. lightly beat the eggs, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture, beating them in thoroughly. grate the zest from the lemon and mix it with the rosemary needles. bash the two together with a pestle and mortar to release the natural oils from the herb. fold into the cake mixture with the flour, baking powder and almonds. spoon into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes.

while the cake is baking, dissolve the sugar in the juice of the lemon and the water over a moderate heat and stir in the rosemary needles. as the cake comes out of the oven, spike the surface with a skewer and spoon over the syrup.

when the cake has cooled, make the icing by adding the lemon juice to the icing sugar and stirring until your consistency is liquid enough to drizzle over the top of the cake, with icing drips forming down and around the sides. scatter the rosemary edible flowers over the top and sides.