Lemon Honey Drizzle Cake
This morning, I woke up feeling really off. My universe is severely unaligned at the moment. Plates have been crashing, wheels have been falling off and both at the same time.
All the time.
At 6am I realised that I hadn't baked for weeks. Which in itself is strange. I am a baker. It's a pastime I love, something I do often and it's always been absolute therapy for me.
I knew I had to find space in my day to make a cake. My melancholy drew me toward happy ingredients like lemon (energy), honey (sweet) and almond (nurture).
Which in turn led me this delicious sunshine treat from Donna Hay.
I believe in the power of baking. It's mediative. Making this cake made me feel lighter.
Is there a cake that does the same for you?
Ingredients
Peel of 3 lemons, cut into 10cm strips
1/3 cup of boiling water
180g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup honey, extra for drizzling
1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
4 eggs
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cup almond meal
3/4 cup of icing sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place the lemon peel and the boiling water into a small bowl and allow to stand for 10-20 minutes until the peel has softened. Drain the peel and reserve the water for later. Place the peel in the base of 26 cm round cake tin lined with baking paper.
Place butter, sugar, 1/4 cup of the honey and lemon rind in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat for 8-10 minutes or until creamy and pale. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add lemon juice and combine again. Add the flour, baking powder and almond meal and beat on low until just folded through.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack with a tray underneath it. Drizzle the cake (all over) with the remaining honey. While the cake is cooling, place the icing sugar and a tablespoon or so, of the reserved lemon water in a jug and stir until combined. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the cake in a criss cross or lattice and then and serve.