17th Century Honey Cake

• 6 oz (168 grm). butter, softened
• 6 oz (168 grm). caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 6 oz (168 grm). self-raising flour
• 1 tsp (5 ml). baking powder
• 1 tbsp (15 ml). clear honey
• a few drops of almond essence
• 1 tbsp (15 ml). clear honey
• 1-1/2 lemons, juice only
• 5-1/2 oz (154 grm). cream cheese
• 6 oz (168 grm). icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
• crystallized rose petals to decorate

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (80 C.) or gas mark 4.
2. Grease and line a 7 inch round baking tin.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, sifted flour and baking powder and beat hard.
5. Add the honey and almond essence and continue beating for another 2 minutes.
6. Turn into the tin and bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours.
7. After the first half hour of baking, cover the top with greaseproof paper to prevent the cake from burning on top.
8. Remove the cake from the oven.
9. Mix together the honey and the juice of 1 lemon.
10. Pierce the cake with a thin skewer all over the surface, then pour this mixture over.
11. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then turn it out.
12. Beat together the cream cheese, remaining lemon juice and icing sugar.
13. Spread evenly over the cake.
14. Decorate with the rose petals.

butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, clear honey, clear honey, lemons, cream cheese, icing, petals

Taken from online-cookbook.com/goto/cook/rpage/0019B7 (may not work)