Baking power: Mint & lemon drizzle cake 

A classic lemon drizzle cake is pretty hard to beat. It’s got the perfect balance of sweet and sharp, and a soft, buttery crumb that gets drenched in lemony syrup. This version is all of those things but with some extra brightness and fragrance from a good handful of fresh mint. It’s such a simple twist but wins big on the flavour front.

SERVES 8-10

250g caster sugar

10g fresh mint leaves, plus extra to decorate

200g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

3 eggs

270g plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp milk

FOR THE SYRUP 

50g caster sugar

juice of 2 lemons

3 fresh mint leaves

FOR THE FROSTING 

70g icing sugar

2-3 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin. Add the sugar and mint to a food processor and blitz until the mint is finely chopped.
• Cream the butter, minty sugar and lemon zest together with an electric whisk for 3-5 minutes until really pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Tip in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed until smooth. Finally, stir in the milk.
• H Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted at the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• H Meanwhile, make the syrup. Heat the sugar, lemon juice and mint in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer for 1 minute before removing from the heat.
• H When the cake is out of the oven, use a skewer or toothpick to prick the whole surface. Pour the syrup on top, letting it seep into the holes. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• H Make the frosting by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice together until you have a thick but pourable consistency. If it looks too thin, just add a little more icing sugar; if you want to thin it out, stir in a bit more lemon juice.
• H Remove the cooled cake from the tin and pour the frosting on top, letting it drip down the sides. Top with a couple of small mint leaves before serving.