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Coriander seed, spelt and orange honey cake with cardamom yogurt sorbet

By: Gill Meller

Published: 28 Nov 17
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Coriander seed, spelt and orange honey cake with cardamom yogurt sorbet

Gill Meller’s vibrant sponge uses spelt flour for a more wholesome and nutty taste. The orange syrup adds sweetness and makes this cake wonderfully moist.

Easy
October 2017

Test kitchen approved

Serves 12
Hands-on 25 min, oven 1 hour 5 min, plus freezing

Gill Meller’s vibrant sponge uses spelt flour for a more wholesome and nutty taste. The orange syrup adds sweetness and makes this cake wonderfully moist.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 524kcals
Fat: 29.8g (14.1g saturated)
Protein: 10.6g
Carbohydrates: 52.7g (42.7g sugars)
Fibre: 1.2g
Salt: 0.3g

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Ingredients

275g unsalted butter
250g golden caster sugar
4 tbsp clear honey
Finely grated zest 1 orange
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar
4 large free-range eggs
150g spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
150g ground almonds

For the sorbet

100g golden caster sugar
4 tsp clear honey
6 cardamom pods, bruised
Pared zest ¼ orange
600g natural yogurt

For the honey coriander syrup

4 tbsp clear honey
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar
Juice 1 orange

You’ll also need:

23cm round springform cake tin, greased and lined with non-stick baking paper

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Method

To make the sorbet, put the sugar and honey in a small pan along with the cardamom pods, orange zest and 4 tbsp water. Put over a low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the syrup begins to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Put the yogurt in a mixing bowl. Strain the syrup through a sieve onto the yogurt (discard the solids left in the sieve) and mix together well with a balloon whisk. Pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn until soft set. Transfer to a lidded plastic container and freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight. (Or you can freeze the sorbet in a plastic → container and whizz with an electric hand mixer every hour until set.)
Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric hand mixer until creamy. Add the sugar, honey, zest and coriander seeds and beat until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each and beating thoroughly before adding the next egg and spoon of flour.

Combine the remaining flour with the baking powder and sift into the bowl over the beaten butter mixture. Use a metal spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the butter until combined. Stir in the ground almonds and mix until combined. Spoon the batter into the lined tin and spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Put the tin on a baking sheet (the batter may leak a little during cooking) and bake for 60-65 minutes (don’t open the oven before it’s been in for an hour) until the sponge is springy to the touch and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean.
Let the sponge cool slightly while you make the syrup. Combine all the syrup ingredients in a pan, whisk together and put over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, without stirring, until reduced. Gently prick the surface of the cake, still in its tin, with a skewer. Drizzle over the syrup so it soaks into the sponge. Leave for 30 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack. Serve cool or slightly warm, with the sorbet.