Serves 8 | Cook 50 mins
225g unsalted butter, softened
150g white spelt fl our, sifted
50g wholegrain spelt fl our, sifted
4 large free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g maple syrup
2 tsp baking powder
25g cornfl our
6 young sweet rose geranium leaves,
flattened, plus extra leaves and
flowers to decorate
unrefi ned icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
For the syrup:
4 sweet rose geranium leaves, chopped
50g light honey
juice of ½ lemon
For the fi lling:
200ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp honey
250g blackberries
Blackberry and rose geranium cake
1. Make the syrup the day before you want to eat the cake. Place 3 of the chopped geranium leaves, honey and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until reduced to about
2–3 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Taste and add the extra leaf if you like. Leave
to infuse overnight, then strain.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and fl our a 20cm loosebottomed cake tin.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric hand mixer, add 2–3 tablespoons of the flours,
beat briefly, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a further minute or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and maple syrup. Add the remaining flours, the baking powder and cornflour, folding gently to combine.
4. Arrange the whole rose geranium leaves in the bottom of the prepared tin. Scrape in the cake mixture, level the surface and bake in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the centre springs back to the touch.
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Gently turn the cooled cake out of the tin and place upside down on a board or plate. Carefully peel off the leaves and discard.
6. To make the filling, whip the cream to ribbon consistency, add the vanilla extract and honey and fold in
carefully – do not overmix. Slice the cake in half horizontally; use a skewer to prick holes in the top of each layer and then pour over the syrup. Place the bottom layer on a plate, spread the cream over the top and sprinkle twothirds of the blackberries over the cream. Press the other cake layer on top, dust with icing sugar, if you wish, and decorate with the remaining blackberries and rose geranium leaves and flowers.