Coriander seed, spelt and orange honey cake

Gill Meller’s vibrant sponge uses spelt flour for a more wholesome and nutty taste. The orange syrup adds sweetness and makes this cake wonderfully moist.

Serves 12

275g unsalted butter 

250g golden caster sugar 

4 tbsp clear honey 

Finely grated zest 1 orange 

2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar 

4 large free-range eggs

150g spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder 

150g ground almonds 

For the honey coriander syrup 

4 tbsp clear honey 

2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar

Juice 1 orange 

Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric hand mixer until creamy. Add the sugar, honey, zest and coriander seeds and beat until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each and beating thoroughly before adding the next egg and spoon of flour. 

Combine the remaining flour with the baking powder and sift into the bowl over the beaten butter mixture. Use a metal spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the butter until combined. Stir in the ground almonds and mix until combined. Spoon the batter into the lined tin and spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Put the tin on a baking sheet (the batter may leak a little during cooking) and bake for 60-65 minutes (don’t open the oven before it’s been in for an hour) until the sponge is springy to the touch and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. 

oLet the sponge cool slightly while you make the syrup. Combine all the syrup ingredients in a pan, whisk together and put over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, without stirring, until reduced. Gently prick the surface of the cake, still in its tin, with a skewer. Drizzle over the syrup so it soaks into the sponge. Leave for 30 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack. Serve cool or slightly warm, with the sorbet.