Birthday Cake

Ingredients

300g unsalted butter plus melted butter for greasing the tin.

150g caster sugar

150g Honey (we use local honey from the Northumberland Honey Company)

4 free-range eggs

325g plain flour

1.5tsp. baking powder

1tsp. bicarbonate of soda

1/2tsp. salt

1tsp. cinnamon

1tsp. finely chopped lavender plus a little extra to scatter over the icing.

Half a pot of creme fraiche – 150ml

Glaze

20ml lemon juice

2tsp. honey

Approx 100g icing sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 170 deg C. Grease the kugelhupf tin and pop it in the fridge.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and honey together until pale and fluffy, preferably using an electric mixer. Add the eggs one by one, beating continuously and making sure each is fully incorporated before you add the next. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon, and then stir in the finely chopped lavender. Gently fold the flour mixture into the creamed mix in 3 additions, alternating with creme fraiche.
3. Spoon the mix into the greased tin and level out the mix and clean the edge of the tin. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes – check after 30 or until the skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes to rest before turning it out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. It will look brown because of the added honey.
4. To make the icing, warm the lemon juice and honey together in a small pan, or in a bowl in the microwave, then whisk in enough icing sugar to make a thick, pourable glaze. Spoon to coat the cake allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Finally sprinkle the last of your finely chopped lavender