Honey Spice Cake

Submitted by McCarthy

"Taken from 'Fairworld' - This is a tangy and fruity and very generously flavoured cake"

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 75 g honey (set)
• 250 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 75 g caster sugar (golden)
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest
• 1 orange, finely grated zest
• 100 g butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 50 g dried apricots, blended to a paste
• 100 g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons warm water

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and lighly buter a 18 cm square cake tin. Warm the honey in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Sift the flour and spices into a mixing bowl, then add the caster sugar and fruit zest. Rub the butter into the flour until crumbly. Lightly mix in the egg and honey. In a separate small bowl, mix the bicarbonate of soda with 3 tablespoons of cold water until dissolved, then add the cake mix and beat well. Stir in the apricots and spread the mxture into the tin. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out.
2. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, Add the lemon juice and water and mix until well blended. Pour the icing over the cake. It will take a little while to set.