Devonshire honey cake

Ingredients

250g clear honey

225g unsalted butter in small pieces

100g dark muscovado sugar

3 medium eggs , beaten

300g self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3.

Butter and line a 20cm round loose bottomed cake tin (or use fairy cake cases-makes around 40).

Melt butter, sugar and honey in a pan over a low heat, when the mixture has become liquid increase heat and boil for one minute. Turn off heat and wait and an eternity (around 40 minutes) for it to cool down. The smell will make you very hungry…don’t be tempted to dip your finger in for a taste, the mixture is rather hot.

Once it has cooled down and you have run your finger under cold water for not listening to the previous instruction, beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture using a wooden spoon.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture, mixing until you have a smooth, runny batter.

Pour the mixture into the tin (or place spoonfuls in cases) and bake for an hour until the cake is well-risen, golden brown and springs back when pressed. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean. (In cases its around 15 minutes, but can vary with ovens-check with a toothpick if unsure).

Turn the cake out on a wire rack and try not to scoff the lot in one sitting.