CARAWAY SEED AND LEMON CAKE WITH LEMONY CRÈME FRAÎCHE

Recipe

This recipe is inspired by a dessert that I had on a recent mid-summer trip to London. I sat by myself at a restaurant and ordered the only cake on the menu, as I was positively craving cake at the time. What turned up was the most classically British dessert I could have hoped for – buttery, vanilla laden cake speckled with poppy seeds and caraway seeds, served warm with chantilly cream and strawberries. Mine is a wintry version, which tastes just as good.

FOR THE CAKE

200g (11⁄3 sticks) butter, softened

200g (7.1oz) caster sugar

4 free range eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g (1.8oz) buckwheat flour

Pinch sea salt

200g (7.1oz) ground almonds

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

3 tbsp caraway seeds

FOR THE ICING

1 cup crème fraîche

Zest of half a lemon

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE DECORATIONS

1 tsp caraway seeds


  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F on fan bake. Line a 22cm / 9” tin with baking paper.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla.
  4. Gradually fold in the buckwheat flour, salt and ground almonds, taking care not to overmix. Finally, fold through the lemon zest and juice and the caraway seeds.
  5. Spoon the batter into the tin and spread out to the sides.
  6. Bake for approximately 40 minutes. The cake is ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  7. Allow the cake to cool for around 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
  8. Meanwhile, make the icing. Simply combine the crème fraîche with the lemon zest, icing sugar and vanilla.
  9. Neatly ice the top of the cake and decorate with a scattering of caraway seeds. Serve at room temperature.
  10. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.