This loaf cake feels very festive… chocolate, orange and bit of spice. It’d make a nice gift for a friend or neighbour and a delicious addition to a Christmas tea or coffee. You’ll need a pestle and mortar to smash the cardamom and crush the seeds. Easily dairy-free if you use coconut oil and dairy free dark chocolate.

Ingredients

100g wholemeal self-raising flour

100g white self-raising flour

Seeds of 8 cardamom pods, ground

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

200g golden caster or coconut sugar

140g butter or coconut oil

3 large eggs

6 tbsp milk of your choice

Zest of one orange

100g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks.

For the drizzle and topping

Juice of one orange

50ml maple syrup

50g dark chocolate

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 180.

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.

Mix the flours, baking powder, cardamom and sugar in a large bowl.

Add the butter or coconut oil, eggs and milk. Zest in the orange then beat together until well mixed.

Dust the chocolate chunks in a little flour and fold into the mix.

Spoon the mix into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. (Check and cover with foil at 30mins if it’s beginning to brown too much.)

When it’s nearly done, put the maple syrup and orange juice into a small pan and gently warm through.

Remove the cake from the oven when the time is up, and poke a few holes into it with a skewer. Drizzle over the glaze and allow to cool completely in the tin.

Put the chocolate and coconut oil into a microwave-proof bowl and heat on a low heat until just melted. Stir together then drizzle over the cooled cake.

Transfer to the fridge to set the topping, then slice and serve.

Will keep well for 4-5 days in a sealed container or freeze for that last minute Christmas crisis.