This is a lovely moist cake that would be perfect as an afternoon tea treat; the combination of ground almonds and elderflower syrup means you’ll almost need a spoon to eat it.

Elderflower syrup (or cordial) isn’t as widely available in the US as it is in the UK but IKEA sells it – look for ‘Saft Flader’; otherwise you can get it from Amazon.com at a reasonable price. It makes a refreshingly floral and summery non-alcoholic drink, diluted with sparkling or flat water  – and can be used in cocktails.

Talking of cocktails, I suppose you could use St. Germain here instead (the alcoholic liqueur version) but that means the cake would only be suitable for adults.

ALMOND & ELDERFLOWER CAKE

(Serves 8- 10)

Ingredients:

8.8 oz (250g) of unsalted butter, softened

5.5 oz (150g) of fine (caster) white sugar

5 eggs

3 level teaspoons of baking powder

3.5 oz (100g) of plain/all purpose white flour

A pinch of salt

5.5 oz (150g) of ground almonds/almond meal

7 tablespoons of elderflower syrup/cordial

For the topping:

1 oz (30g) of unsalted butter, softened

7 oz (200g) of powdered/icing sugar

3-4 tablespoons of elderflower syrup/cordial

Toasted flaked almonds for decoration

Action:

Pre-heat the oven to   350F (180).

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time – don’t worry if it curdles – then lightly fold in the flour, followed by the ground almonds.

Butter or line a round cake pan and add the cake mixture, smoothing evenly.

Bake for approx 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and pierce it all over with a skewer or toothpick then carefully pour the 7 tablespoons of elderflower syrup over the cake to soak in – cool the cake on a rack.

For the topping:

Whisk the softened butter and powdered sugar together until it has a fine breadcrumb consistency; or rub it together with your fingers to create the same result.

Add the remaining elderflower syrup and whisk until you have a paste. If it’s too thick or too thin, add more syrup or powdered sugar accordingly, until a spreadable consistency. Spread over the top of the cake then decorate with toasted flaked almonds.