Lemon cake with lemon balm syrup

Everybody loves lemon cake and when you have lemon balm available, well there’s no better time to make it! but you can replace the herbs with lemon thyme or if not available, then just lemon syrup is fine.

 

 

Serves 10/12/30prep.plus 1hour baking/easy

 

cake

200g butter, room temperature

200g caster sugar

100g self raising flour

100g ground almonds

3 eggs, beaten

rind of 1 lemon

 

lemon balm syrup

2 tablesp. sugar

handful lemon balm, finely chopped

juice & rind of 1 lemon

 

set oven 180c gas 4

line a 1kg loaf tin with non stick baking paper

 

To make the cake, in an electric mixer beat the butter & sugar till white & creamy, add in half the flour & ground almonds, mix well together, then add in

the eggs and remaining flour, ground almond and lemon zest, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45-500 mins or until a skewer inserted

in the centre comes out clean, cool in the tin, meanwhile make the syrup,

put the sugar, lemon balm, juice & rind into a small pan, heat gently till

the sugar dissolves, simmer for a few minutes, then remove the cake from the tin

and drizzle with the syrup.