Baking For Beginners: Limoncello and White Chocolate Cake

Since my Limoncello recipe late last year I was inundated with friends pleading with me to make extra for them for Christmas, so I made LOADS. I kept a few bottles back and basically I've been putting it in practically everything I've been cooking since New Year (it's fabulous in shellfish dishes). Shop bought limoncello is absolutely fine of course but I definitely recommend making your own as it's so much nicer and ready in about 2 weeks!

This cake is really easy to make and tastes fabulous. It's light but sticky from the limoncello drizzle and the whipped white chocolate icing makes it ridiculously more-ish. I use Cotswold Gold extra virgin rapeseed oil as it's nuttiness works wonderfully well with the ground almonds, but you could also use almond, hazelnut or a fruity olive oil would also be brilliant with the fresh lemon flavours.

You'll need:

• 150g caster sugar
• 150g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons cold pressed rapeseed oil (or other oil of your choice)
• 4 medium free range eggs
• 160g self raising flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 75ml limoncello
• 150g cream cheese
• 150g white chocolate

To decorate: white chocolate balls (from the baking section at the supermarket) and zest of 1 unwaxed lemon.

Make it!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 160C. Using an electric whisk cream together the caster sugar and butter until light and fluffy, add the oil and eggs and continue to beat for another minute.
2. Sift in your flour and stir in your ground almonds. Zest and juice one lemon and stir in along with the poppy seeds.
3. Line a 1lb loaf tin with greased baking parchment then pour in your cake mix and bake in the middle of the oven for about 90 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle. If the top is starting to brown and the cake is still not cooked just cover the top with tin foil and continue to cook.
4. Once the cake is cooked remove from the oven but leave it in its tin. Poke holes all over the top using the skewer then pour over 50ml of the limoncello and leave to cool.
5. Make the icing by beating the cream cheese together with the remaining 25ml limoncello. Melt your white chocolate then beat into the cream cheese mixture then cover the top of the cold cake.
6. Cover with white chocolate balls and lemon zest.