Veggiestan Rose Drizzle Cake. For you. For Valentines Day.

Now I’m a self-confessed rubbish baker. The antithesis of a domestic goddess (although I do have a penchant for house-work, so I do get some redeeming Brownie points). But you know? You can’t actually mess up a drizzle cake. Whisk-whisk-cook-drizzle-scoff. It is really simple.

Now of course the drizzle of choice is lemon. And there is something to be said about the sharpness of citrus to contrast with the sweetness of the rest of it. So this combo sees lime paired with cardamom and rose. If any of you real Suzie Homemakers out there can improve this, please ‘fess up: I’m always willing to listen to suggestions, especially when it comes to fiddly faffy things like cake-making.

Ingredients: (for 6-7 slices)

• 2 large eggs
• 175g caster sugar
• 150g soft butter (or marg) – I use salted, but if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt to your cake mix
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• grated zest of 1 lime
• 175g self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons rose water

For the syrup and the glaze:

• juice of 1 lime (like the 1 you zested above)
• 4 tablespoons rose cordial
• 200g icing sugar

To serve:

• creme fraiche
• nibbed pistachios
• rose petals

You’ll also need a greased 23cm x 17cm x 7.5cm (i.e. bog standard) loaf tin lined with greased parchment paper.

Firstly heat your oven to gas mark 4 (180C).
Pinnies on? Whisk the eggs and beat in the sugar and butter: stir until the whole thing begins to pale in colour. Add the spices and zest, and then sieve the flour and fold it into the mixture as well. Finally stir in the milk and the rose water. Spoon the mixture into the prepared oven tin, and bake for around 40 minutes, or until the cake passes the old skewer test (i.e. you stick a metal skewer into the thickest part of the cake and it comes out clean).
While the cake is baking, warm the lime juice in a saucepan along with 2 tablespoons of the cordial and 150g of the icing sugar.
Once the cake is cooked, removed it from the oven, prick a dozen or so holes in it with a knife, and trickle this syrup over the cake. Allow the thing to cool and then remove from the tin.
Make the glaze by mixing the rest of the icing sugar and the cordial together: loosen with a little water if necessary and drizzle over the cake. Cut into slices, add a dollop of creme fraiche, and scatter with nibbed pistachio/rose petals.
Serve as a special pudding for that special someone: a glass of kir royale or some strong dark coffee would make a fitting accompaniment.
Happy Valentines Day!