Lemon and elderflower cake

Serves 5-6 (pictured)

For the cake, you will need:

• 175g butter, softened

• 175g caster sugar

• 3 large eggs

• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

• 175g self-raising flour

• 1 tablespoon elderflower cordial

For the elderflower icing, you will need:

• 110g icing sugar

• Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon

• 1-2 tablespoons elderflower cordial

1Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas mark 4.

2 Line the base of a 20cm cake tin (with sides at least 2.5cm high — a springform tin is good for this) with a disc of parchment paper, then butter the sides and dust with a little flour, shaking out the excess.

3 Place the butter in a bowl and beat until very soft, then add the caster sugar and beat well again for a minute. Now add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well all the time. Mix in the grated lemon zest, then the self-raising flour, and finally add in the elderflower cordial.

4 Alternatively, you can place the soft butter in a food processor with the caster sugar, the eggs, the grated lemon zest, the flour, and the elderflower cordial and whiz until just combined. Scrape down the edges from the sides of the bowl then whiz again for just 2 seconds.

5 Tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth over the top with a palette knife or the back of a tablespoon.

6 Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden and cooked in the centre. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake will come out clean.

7 Allow the cake to sit in the tin for five minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a rack.

8 Once the cake is cool, place it on a plate and make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl then, using your fingertips, rub in the finely grated lemon zest. Now add just one tablespoon of the elderflower cordial and mix. If necessary, add a little more elderflower cordial to bring it together to an icing that will sit on top of the cake and just slowly drip down the sides. If it’s too thin it’ll run off the cake, and if it’s too thick it will be tricky to spread — see Tip.

9 Pour the icing over the top of the cake at the centre and let it slowly spread out and slightly down the sides.

10 Decorate with some cornflower petals, rose petals, or some fresh elderflowers.