Maria Elia's Orange, Lavender and Almond Syrup Cake

I don’t think you can ever beat a syrup cake. This one oozes flavour, is wonderfully moist and has a beautiful texture.

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   1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/ 325F/gas 3. Grease a 20cm spring-form cake tin about 7cm to 9cm deep and line the base.
   2. To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then fold in the orange zest, semolina and ground almonds. Add the orange juice and yoghurt and stir gently until combined.
   3. Pour into the prepared tin and cook for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
   4. Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put all the ingredients in a pan with 375ml water over a low heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until syrupy.
   5. Remove the cake from the oven and pierce all over with a skewer. Pour half the hot syrup over the warm cake and leave to cool.
   6. Serve the cake with the remaining syrup drizzled over. Offer crème fraîche on the side to dollop over.