Honey and marmalade cake

1.Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line a 21 x 12cm loaf tin.

2.Make a caramel by adding 2 tbsp of the sugar to water in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns a caramel colour. This gives great flavour to the cake.

3.Add chunks of butter and stir until melted before adding in the remaining sugar and honey. Add the allspice and stir until the sugar and butter are mixed. Leave to cool.

4.In a bowl, beat the egg until light and foamy.

5.Dissolve the soda in milk. Add the milk and egg to cooled sugar mix, then work in the flour a little at a time.

6.Scrape into the loaf tin and bake for 10 minutes before reducing oven temperature to 180°C. Cook for further a 50 minutes or until the cake has nearly doubled in size and a skewer comes out clean.

7.Leave the cake to cool in tin – don’t worry if it sinks slightly, it won’t affect the taste!

8.Once cool, turn out and wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. The outside of the cake will be quite hard but that’s how it’s meant to be, so worry not.

9.Using a large, sharp knife, cut horizontally into 4 or 5 slices about 1cm thick. Spread each slice with marmalade, then re-assemble. Coat the outside with marmalade too. Leave to set while you make the icing.

10.Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the chocolate. Cover with a tea towel and leave until the chocolate softens enough to whisk into a glossy sauce.

11.Coat the entire cake, except the base, with the icing. Allow to semi-set before running a fork over it to create ridges. Allow to set.

12.Serve thin slices with coffee or tea – amazing!