A beautifully moist, slow-fermented sourdough cake filled with juicy wild brambles and the warm, aromatic spice of toasted hogweed seeds, finished with raw honey infused with crushed blackberries.

The wholegrain spelt and overnight sourdough fermentation give this cake a lovely depth of flavour, while the brambles burst through the crumb with little pockets of sharp sweetness. Toasted hogweed seeds bring their distinctive citrusy, cardamom-like warmth, which works beautifully with both the berries and honey.

This is proper wild baking – seasonal, rustic and absolutely delicious with a cup of tea.

Makes one large 900g (2lb) loaf

Ingredients

• 65g water at approximately 27°C
• 100g bubbly, active sourdough starter, refreshed twice
• 250g organic wholegrain spelt flour
• 200g unsalted butter or plant-based block, softened (I use Naturli)
• 3 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
• 200g caster sugar (I use a mixture of organic caster sugar and coconut sugar)
• 3g fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp dried hogweed seeds, toasted and ground
• ½ cup washed brambles/blackberries

To finish:

• 1 tbsp raw organic runny honey
• 1 tbsp brambles/blackberries

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Method

Before you begin

Refresh your sourdough starter twice before making the cake. You want it to be lively, bubbly and active when you begin mixing.

Mix

1. Place 30g of the water into a large mixing bowl with the sourdough starter and whisk together.
2. Add the flour, softened butter, eggs, sugar, salt and ground toasted hogweed seeds. Mix gently until everything is incorporated and there are no patches of dry flour remaining.
3. Leave the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.
4. Add the remaining 35g water and mix thoroughly with a spoon. The mixture should now resemble a thick cake batter and drop slowly from the spoon. If it still feels too stiff, add up to another 10g water.

Prove overnight

5. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.
6. Spoon the batter into the tin, scattering the brambles throughout as you go so they’re evenly distributed through the cake.
7. Cover and leave to prove at room temperature overnight.
8. At the same time, gently mix the tablespoon of brambles with the raw honey. Cover and leave them to infuse ready for the following day. Keep this mixture refrigerated overnight.

Bake

9. The following morning, preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas Mark 4.
10. Loosely shape a piece of foil into a slight dome and place it over the loaf tin without allowing it to touch the batter. This helps protect the top of the cake while it bakes.
11. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, removing the foil towards the end so the top can colour.
12. Insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If not, return it to the oven for another 3–4 minutes before testing again. Every oven is slightly different, so use the cake rather than the clock as your guide.
13. Leave the cake to cool in its tin for 5 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a wire rack.
14. Once cooled, spoon the raw honey and bramble mixture over the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
15. Slice and enjoy.

Foraging Note

Common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) is a member of the Apiaceae family, which contains some highly toxic species, so correct identification is essential.

The sap can also cause phytophotodermatitis when affected skin is subsequently exposed to sunlight. Take care when harvesting and handling it, and never eat any wild plant unless you’re completely confident of its identification.