Lemon, thyme & poppy seed cake

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 180oC.

2 Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla.

3 Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and poppy seeds and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and half the egg mixture and mix well, beating all the time. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture, beating well to incorporate.

4. Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake for 55–65 min; loosely cover with buttered foil after 30 min.

For the syrup:

1 Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice over a gentle heat. Add the thyme sprigs and leave to infuse. Make small holes in the cake with a skewer and brush over half the syrup. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 min then remove and brush the cake all over with the sy

rup, including the base and sides. Allow to cool then wrap in foil and leave for 24 hr to allow the syrup to infuse.

To decorate:

1 Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice to form a smooth icing. Drizzle over the cake and decorate with lemon zest strips, edible flowers and fresh lemon thyme leaves.

2 Put the cream on the bottom cake layer then top with the second layer. Slice the remaining peaches, arrange them around the top of the cake, fill with the remaining raspberries and dust with icing sugar. Serve immediately.