Gill Meller’s Recipe For Honey Cake With Coriander Seed, Spelt & Orange

There is something about a sticky, honey-drenched cake like this one that is so appealing, so hard to resist. This cake is made with spelt flour, ground from a very old species of wheat that has a nutty, sweet flavour. Orange zest brings warm citrus, and oily almonds give moisture. But the big players here are the coriander seeds and the honey, which together give the cake not only texture and warmth, but also a deep floral sweetness that will vary from honey to honey.

The cake tastes best if you leave it for a day or two before eating, and it will store well for at least a week in an airtight tin.

Extract printed with permission from Gather by Gill Meller, published by Hardie Grant Books. $49.99, available in stores nationally.