*Honey Cake*
Makes one 7 inch round cake or 1 2 pound loaf cake This tender and delicious cake is said to date back to the 17th century. Honey is said to boost the immune system and guard against age related disease. For the cake: 175g of butter, softened (3/4 cup) 175g of caster sugar (scant cup) 3 large free range eggs, beaten 175g of self raising flour.sifted (1 1/4 cups) 1 tsp baking powder 1 TBS clear liquid honey few drops almond extract for the glaze: 1 dessert spoon clear liquid honey the juice of one lemon To ice: 150g of cream cheese (5 ounces) the juice of half a lemon 175g of icing sugar, sifted (1 1/2 cups) Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F gas mark 4. Butter and line either a 7 inch round deep cake tin or a 2 pound loaf tin. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift together the self raising flour and the baking powder. Stir this into the creamed mixture and beat well to combine. Beat in the honey and almond. Scrap the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top over.
Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cover the top with a double sheet of baking paper about half an hour into the baking time to prevent it from over browning. When done a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Remove from the oven. Stir together the glaze ingredients and then spoon this mixture over top of the cake allowing it to soak in. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing from the tin. Beat together the cream cheese, lemon juice and icing sugar and spread over the cooled cake. Cut into slices or wedges to serve. Store in an airtight container. |
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