Moist and mellow, this easy to make cake keeps well... and the flavour just gets better and better.

Ingredients

• 150 grams butter, softened
• 1 cup sheer or mellow honey
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• ½ tsp lemon oil or grated rind of 2 lemons
• 250 gram tub sour cream
• 2½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom or ground ginger
• slivers of crystallised mixed peel, or glace orange slices to decorate

Method

1. Put the butter, honey, sugar, eggs and lemon oil or lemon rind into a food processor and process until the mixture has a light texture. This will take 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the sour cream and pulse to blend in.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cardamom or ginger and sprinkle over the top of the creamed mixture, avoiding the processors blade. Pulse to blend in, but take care not to over-process.
4. Turn mixture into a greased, floured and baking paper-lined 23 cm round cake tin.
5. Bake in the lower middle section of the oven at 180ºC for 45-50 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a cake rack to cool. Decorate with crystallised mixed peel or glace orange slices and serve dusted with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container.

If you don't have a food processor

1. Use an electric beater or wooden spoon to beat together the butter, honey, sugar and lemon oil or rind until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Stir in the sour cream. Sift together the dry ingredients and gently fold into the creamed mixture using a slotted spoon. Continue method from step 4.