Chamomile & lemon cake with salted honey buttercream
There’s something especially comforting about baking with tea. This chamomile and lemon cake is exactly that kind of bake: light, delicate and quietly impressive. The salted honey buttercream is light and airy and brings just enough richness to balance it all out and a scattering of flowers on top makes it feel like something you’d want to bring out for a celebration - or just a sunny afternoon tea.
225g butter, softened 225g caster sugar 4 large eggs 225g self raising flour 50ml whole milk 2 Chamomile tea bags Zest of 2 lemons 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt
Syrup: (optional) 2 tbsp runny honey 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp water
Salted honey buttercream: 100g runny honey 200g unsalted butter 150g icing sugar 1/2 tsp salt
Heat the oven to 170C fan.
Use a stand mixer to beat the softened butter with the sugar for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Meanwhile, set a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chamomile tea bags and turn off the heat. Steep for 2-3 minutes then remove the teabags and set aside to cool.
Reduce the speed of the stand mixer then crack the eggs one by one. Add the flour, one large spoonful at a time, mixing between each addition. Pour in the cooled, infused milk, the lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Mix to combine.
Grease and line the bases of 2 x 20cm cake tins with parchment and divide the batter between them. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
For the syrup, combine the honey, water and lemon juice in a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar. Leave to the side too cool.
To make the buttercream, beat the softened butter on a high speed for 5-6 minutes until very light and airy. Add the honey and salt and continue to mix. Sift the icing sugar then add to the butter bit by bit. Once you’re happy with the consistency, leave the stand mixture on a low speed for a further 5 minutes to reduce the amount of air bubbles, which will result in a smoother consistency.
Remove the cakes from the oven and set aside too cool. They need to be at least room temp before you cover with the buttercream. Remove from the tins and level your cakes with a serrated knife, if needed, then spoon over some of the syrup.
Layer the cakes with the buttercream, leaving a little extra to make some nice swirls on the top layer. Finish with fresh flowers, if you like. Eat as soon as possible or keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.