Fit For a Queen

So admittedly this is very late as a jubilee cake (make that very very late!), but then it wasn't technically meant to be one in the first place. It was just a pretty cake for a party that happened to fall on the Jubilee weekend.

It's essentially a simple sponge recipe that I got from the BeRo book my mum and I always use, but then with some loveliness thrown at it: cardamon flavour, a lime syrup, cream cheese icing, pistachios, lime peel, and all topped with sugared roses. By far the prettiest cake I have ever made, if I do say so myself!

(Recipe and more pictures after the jump!)

Lime and Cardamon Cake

(adapted with elements from here and here)

You will need:

For the Cake

200g self-raising flour

200g caster sugar

200g slightly salted butter

4 eggs

Cardamon pods (around 5)

For the syrup

1 lime

100g sugar

115ml water

For the topping

Lime marmalade

250g (ish) cream cheese

200g icing sugar

40g butter

1 lime

Pistachios (around 25g)

Roses (organic if possible)

To make the cake (although I'm sure you all know how to do this)

 Crush the cardamon seeds to a fine powder, and add to the flour. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the slightly beaten egg a tiny bit at a time, along with a little bit of sifted flour. Beat with each addition. When all the egg is added, fold in the rest of the flour. Divide between two greased and lined baking tins (mine were 7 inches across), and bake in the oven at 180° for 40-45 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Poke several holes in the top of each cake with a skewer, but don't go all the way through (don't worry, they won't feel it!)

To make the syrup

Put the zest of the lime, sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then strain and pour over the cakes. Leave to cool.

To decorate

When the cakes are completely cool, remove from the tins and sandwich with the lime marmalade. Whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar and butter together, then spread all over the cake, filling any gaps as you go. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios and strips of lime peel, and top with roses (i used five, and had sugared three the day before).

Ta da!