Lemon, cardamom and honey cake

1 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/160 degrees fan. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin with parchment paper.

2 In a bowl, put the egg yolks and 165g honey and whisk well to combine, using an electric beater or by hand, until pale and thick. This will take anywhere from three to five minutes. Set aside.

3 Put the egg whites into a separate, clean bowl, add the pinch of salt and start to whisk using an electric beater or by hand. Once the whites start to foam, begin to add the caster sugar, a tablespooon at a time, until all of the sugar is incorporated.

4 Continue to whisk the egg whites until they have reached a soft peak and then set them aside.

5 Sieve the plain flour and baking powder into another small bowl, add the lemon zest and ground cardamom. Spoon a third of the flour into the egg yolk mix, folding in gently. Continue to do this with the remaining flour.

6 Once all of the flour is combined, add the cooled melted butter.

7 Finally, begin to fold in the egg whites very gently, a third at a time, taking care not to overmix, until all of the whites are incorporated.

8 Pour the mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

9 Check the sponge after 20 minutes, if it is browning too much on top, cover with foil for the rest of the bake. The honey can cause the sponge to colour a little quicker than usual.

10 Test the cake with a skewer in the centre of the sponge, if it comes out clean, it's ready. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

12 While the cake is cooling, make the syrup by warming the juice of the lemon and the tablespoon of honey in a pan until hot. Remove from the heat and pour over the cake while it is still warm.