Photography by Mark Battista

A beautifully moist sourdough cake infused with fragrant elderflower and sweet local honey. Light, floral and gently tangy from the sourdough starter, this seasonal bake captures the taste of early summer and is perfect served with a cup of tea or scattered with fresh edible flowers.

MAKES 1 LARGE LOAF 2LB LOAF TINI

Ingredients

65g water at 27°C

100g bubbly, lively second-build starter (page 12)

250g organic wholegrain spelt flour

200g unsalted butter (I used Naturli) softened, plus extra for greasing

3 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

200g caster sugar (I use a mix of organic caster and coconut sugar)

3g fine sea salt

1tbsp dried elderflowers (dried or fresh)

1tbsp raw organic runny honey, and another tbsp of elderflower to finish

Method

Sourdough build overview – 

Day 1: 8pm	First build	REFRESH YOUR STARTER	1 minute
Day 2: 8am	Second build	REFRESH YOUR STARTER	1 minute
Day 2: 7pm	Mix	THE FIRST STAGE OF MIXING YOUR DOUGH. LEAVE FOR 30 MINUTES	2 minutes
Day 2: 7.30pm	Bassinage	THE SECOND STAGE OF MIXING YOUR DOUGH, INCORPORATING THE REMAINING WATER. LEAVE FOR 30 MINUTES	1 minute
Day 2: 8pm	Prove	TRANSFER THE MIXTURE INTO THE TIN AND LEAVE, COVERED, ON THE SIDE	1 minute
Day 3: 8am	Bake	PREHEAT YOUR OVEN AND BAKE	1 minute

1. Before you mix your dough, you will need to refresh your starter twice, ensuring it’s nice and bubbly

Mix

2. Place 30g of the water in a large mixing bowl with the sourdough starter and whisk together. Add all the remaining ingredients lapart from the rest of the water and the honey and mix gently, ensuring all the ingredients are incorporated and there is no dry flour remaining. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, stir in the remaining 35g water. For this cake recipe, use the spoon to mix, rather than your hands. The mixture should now have the consistency of a cake batter, and should drop slowly off a spoon. If it doesn’t, add another 10g water.

Prove

5. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment. Tip the batter into the tin, then cover and leave to prove on the kitchen table overnight.
6. Add the honey and elderflower together to infuse overnight ready for the next day

Bake

6. The next morning, preheat your oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Before I put the cake in the oven, I gently place a piece of foil shaped into a slight dome over the top of the cake. This helps prevent the top of the cake from overcooking and increases the steam around the cake, keeping it moist.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes, removing the foil dome towards the end of the baking time. Remove the cake from the oven and test it using a skewer inserted gently into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked If not, return it to the oven for another 3-4 minutes and test again. Remember every oven is different and cooking times may vary a little.
8. Cool your cake in the tin for 5 minutes before gently turning it out on to a wire rack to finish cooling. You can now drizzle it with the raw runny honey and elderflower mix.
9. Once cool, wrap your cake in greaseproof paper and store in a tin. Best enjoyed within 3-4 days.