HONEY LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

My friend Penny Johnstone’s lemon drizzle has made many a guest at my farm swoon, so it didn’t need tinkering with, but she was intrigued by my idea of adding local honey. We tried it — and I think the bees would have been proud.

Serves 10

● 225g (8oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

● 225g (8oz) granulated sugar

● 100g (3½oz) runny honey

● 275g (9¾oz) self-raising flour

● 2tsp baking powder

● 4 large eggs

● 1tbsp milk

● Zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons, juice of 1 For the drizzle

● Juice of 1 lemon

● 70g (2½oz) runny honey

● 35g (1¼oz) caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4, and grease and line a roasting tin with baking paper. Put all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until well combined and smooth. Spoon it into the tin and level the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake has shrunk from the sides of the tin and a skewer comes out clean from the centre. Leave to cool in the tin, on a wire rack.

While it cools, make the drizzle. Warm the lemon juice with the honey in a small pan. Pierce the surface of the cake with a fork, about a dozen times. Add the caster sugar to the warm mixture and spoon this gradually over the cake, giving it time to be absorbed between spoonfuls. Leave to soak in then, once completely cool, slice and serve. This will freeze in the unlikely event you have any left.