Buckwheat Lemon Honey Cake with Almonds and Mint

Position rack in the center of oven and preheat to 175°C. Line the base of a 20cm round cake tin with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl using a wooden spoon or hand beaters, cream 120g softened butter with white sugar and 80g honey until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Crack eggs one at a time into the butter mixture, beating well after each addition until smooth.

Finely grate the zest from the whole lemon directly into the bowl, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze in all the juice. Stir to combine.

Pour the flour mixture into the butter-egg mixture and fold gently with a wooden spoon until just incorporated — a few small streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix or the crumb will be tough.

Scrape batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Bake on the center rack at 175°C for 30-35 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes more.

While the cake bakes, spread sliced almonds on a small baking sheet. Dot with 30g butter and scatter 30g white sugar over the top. Bake at 175°C for 5-7 minutes, stirring once halfway, until almonds are golden and fragrant. Watch carefully so they do not burn. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm 50g honey with 8 fresh mint leaves for 2-3 minutes, until honey is fluid and fragrant with mint. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes, then strain out the mint leaves.

Place cooled cake on a serving plate. Drizzle the warm mint honey evenly across the top, letting it run down the sides naturally.

Scatter the toasted almond topping generously over the honey. Serve at room temperature in wedges.