Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbs maple syrup or honey
• 4 room temperature eggs
• 1 tbs vanilla essence
• 2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary or thyme
• ¼ cup yogurt
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 2 ¾ cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit/ raisins

For the icing

• 1 cup of butter
• 1 tbs honey
• 4 – 5 cups powdered sugar to taste
• 6 -8 tbs milk/yogurt/cream
• 1 tsp vanilla

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two 9-inch pans or available baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy and the sugar has mostly dissolved.
3. Add the eggs one at a time beating thoroughly between each egg until completely mixed.
4. Add the vanilla essence, honey and chopped rosemary and cream until completely mixed.
5. In a separate bowl, sift all the dry ingredients and whisk together thoroughly.
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the mixture gradually alternating with the milk and yoghurt until completely incorporated. Use a spatula to gently fold in the ingredients and avoid overmixing.
7. Divide the batter equally between the baking pans and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Remove baked cakes from the pans and cool on racks until completely cool.
9. For the icing, cream the butter and add the sugar slowly, alternating with the milk/ yogurt/ cream until fully incorporated then add the vanilla essence.
10. Trim and level the cooled cakes before covering them with the icing and decorating with sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme.