Lemon Drizzle Cake isn’t exactly boring. The sour citrus zing and sweet sponge team up perfectly with a cuppa to lift up any dreary afternoon. This recipe, however, seeks to add an extra element of aromatics to the mix.

Cardamom is one of my favourite spices, especially in sweet treats. Although associated mostly with Indian cooking, half of the world’s supply is used in Scandinavian cooking. They use it throughout savoury meals and liqueurs, including meatballs and aquavit, but it’s most notably present in their sweet dishes where it often takes on the yuletide role that cinnamon plays in British winter treats.

Unlike the tangy orange and aromatic cinnamon pairing that brings back memories of Christmas past, this combination of zesty lemon and fragrant cardamom is likely a new experience for many – but it works, and it’s damn tasty!

Ingredients

225g Self Raising Flour
225g Butter, at room temperature
225g Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
Zest of 2 Lemons
1 ½ tsp Ground Cardamom
½ tspn Ground Nutmeg
½ tspn Ground Cinnamon

For the drizzle

Juice of 2 Lemons
½ tspn Ground Cardamom
120g Icing Sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

Grease and line a 24cm round cake tin.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy and pale. Add the eggs, and mix thoroughly. Stir in the spices and lemon zest, then sift the flour into the mix and fold it in gently.

Pour the mix into the lined cake tin, place on a low shelf in the oven, and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked throughout.

Whilst the cake is in the oven, mix up the lemon juice, icing sugar and spices in a small bowl. Stir well to ensure the sugar dissolves.

Once the cake is baked keep it in the tin and use a skewer to poke numerous holes into the top of the cake. Pour the drizzle mix over the top of the cake one teaspoon at a time, ensuring even coating of the top. Leave the cake in the tin until it has cooled fully before transferring to a plate.