pinenut and honey cake
ingredients
250g pine nuts
250g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
4 tablespoons clear honey, plus extra to serve (optional)
115g plain flour
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
Preheat the oven to 160C fan/Gas Mark 4.
Spread the pine nuts out on a large baking sheet and toast in
the oven for a few minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
Increase the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 6. Grease a 24cm cake tin.
Cream the butter and sugar together using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment – or an electric hand mixer – until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, while you continue whisking on
a lower speed. Then mix in the honey and fold in the toasted pine nuts, reserving a handful.
Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin, sprinkle the remaining pine nuts on top and bake for 30 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let the cake cool on a wire rack and serve with an extra drizzle of honey or a dusting of icing sugar.