Pumpkin and ginger layer cake

If you like carrot cake then this is for you – moist, spiced and delicious. Yogurt and puréed pumpkin gives this sponge a velvety smooth yet light texture.

liquid, too. Give the pan a little swirl as the sugar starts to melt. Once you have a dark caramel, pour it into the base of the prepared cake tin.

Keeping them whole, peel the clementines, then cut them in half horizontally to retain that little hole in the top and bottom. Arrange the clementine halves, humpside down, on the caramel.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar until really soft – the butter should become very pale and the sugar will more or less dissolve into it. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the flour, cardamom and salt and beat in just until incorporated to a smooth batter. I do all of this in my Kitchenaid fitted with the paddle attachment, but an electric hand-held mixer will do.

Pour the batter over the clementines and gently level it out, being careful not to displace the fruits. Bake for one hour or up to one hour and 10 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, apart from the odd crumb made soggy by the oranges beneath. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the tin for five minutes, then invert on to a plate.

For the glaze, simply combine the jam and water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Paint the glaze on to the cake with a pastry brush. The cake will keep for a few days in an airtight tin; it’ll actually be that bit better on day two.