Ava's Honey Cake

Directions

1. Heat oven to 160°C/ 140°C fan/ gas 3.
2. Line a 20cm round loose-bottomed tin.
3. Cut the butter into pieces and heat with the honey and sugar. Watch the sugar and don't let ingredients burn.
4. When the mixture becomes liquid; increase the heat to boil for 1 min. Do not boil until butter is completely melted and sugar is mostly dissolved.
5. Leave to cool for 15 – 20 mins. This allows your mixture to thicken. If this method is time consuming, simply put your pan into a sink filled with cold water to cool quicker.
6. Beat the eggs into the melted mixture using a wooden spoon. Do not do this until mixture is completely cool or until you can hold the pan in your hands. This is because if the mixture is still hot, it could cook the egg.
7. Sift the flour into a large bowl adding the ginger and cinnamon. Add to the mixture slowly and in parts until you have a smooth runny batter. Make sure your batter isn't too watery though.
8. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake for 35-50 minutes. Do not overcook you cake though, as this may result in a very dry cake. Check on your cake every 20 minutes to make sure it isn't overcooking. If at 20 minutes it looks almost done, keep an eye on it but avoid opening the oven too much because this can cause the cake to collapse.
9. Once your cake is done, (and you'll know because it was be a dark golden color that rises after being pressed), turn onto a wire rack to cool. Whilst cooling, have the top of your cake facing up because we will need the sloping top for decorating.
10. Whilst your cake is cooling, prepare your decoration. Mix 3 cups of icing sugar with your 1/4 cup of water and mix in a small bowl with a spout. The spout is not required but if you have a bowl with a spout, glazing may be a bit easier.
11. After this is all mixed in, add your cinnamon sugar. You may want to add more cinnamon for flavor. Once your mixture looks a pastel brown, leave it and move to chopping your dried cranberries.
12. You'll want to chop them into 1/3's or 1/4's of their original size. This will be used for sprinkling over the cake.
13. Leave the cranberries and take out a grater. Put the grater over a small bowl or chopping board and get out a lemon. With your lemon, you will grate it over the bowl/chopping board. Grate until the bright yellow of the lemon is gone. Avoid grating as far as the white of the lemon because this part of the lemon is bitter and will not be at all satisfying on your cake.
14. After your whole lemon is grated, go back to your icing. Leave your cake over a wired cooling rack and pour your icing in the center of your cake. Only pour half of the icing over it. Let the icing run over the cake until the top is completely glazed. With the other half of your icing, cover any uncovered areas of cake.
15. While the icing is still wet and sticky, grab your chopped cranberries and sprinkle them evenly over the cake.
16. Let the icing harden only slightly after your cranberries have been added. Then, shake or sprinkle your fresh lemon zest over the cake creating an evenly distributed lemony topping.
17. With your pinches of icing sugar, dust lightly for a pretty finish. (optional)
18. And Ta-da! Your cake is complete! :)