Baking for Beginners: Sussex Seed Cake with Orange Blossom Drizzle

I made this last night, I had it for dinner and now I'm having it for breakfast with a cup of coffee because, well because it's just heavenly! Plus there's orange in it so I'm counting it as one of my five a day (yep BREAKFAST cake!).

Sussex seed cake was traditionally made at this time of year and given to workers during the harvest to keep them going and to increase loyalty to their employers, yeah feed me cake and I'm pretty loyal too.

It's much cheaper to buy caraway seeds from health food shops than from supermarkets, you get a big pack from Holland and Barret for £1.79 that will last you for ages (it's brilliant in chutneys). I decided to add orange zest to my cake and then drizzle it with a sticky orange blossom syrup because I love the flavour of orange and almonds. You can pick up bottles of orange blossom water from most supermarkets and cake supply shops but if you cant find any just use extra orange zest or even a tablespoon of Cointreau, mmm boozy breakfast cake....

You'll need:

• 150g caster sugar
• 150g butter at room temperature
• 4 eggs (250ml of eggs)
• 160g self raising flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• zest of one and a half oranges
• 2 tablespoons milk

For the drizzle:

• juice of 2 oranges
• zest of half an orange
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 100g caster sugar

Make it!

1. Preheat your oven to 160C. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy then beat in your eggs until the mixture comes together.
2. Sift in your flour then add the almonds, caraway, zest and milk and mix until everything is completely incorporated. 
3. Line a loaf tin with greased baking parchment then spoon in your mixture and bake in the centre of your oven for about 90 minutes or until you can put a skewer right the way through the centre of the cake and it comes out clean.
4. Whilst your cake is cooking make your drizzle by putting all the ingredients into a saucepan, heat   until it bubbles then turn the heat down to low and reduce for about ten minutes until it is thick and syrupy. Whilst your cake is still hot prick it all over with a skewer then drizzle over the syrup (be careful as the syrup will be really hot). Leave to cool for a few minutes so you don't burn your mouth (yeah I burnt my mouth).