Mint and Vanilla Chiffon Cake

Preheat oven to 170°C (fan forced). Combine fresh mint leaves and milk together in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat slowly until simmering. Turn off the heat and leave to cool completely to room temperature. Once cool, strain out the mint leaves ensuring you squeeze the leaves to release all the flavour.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, half the caster sugar, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vegetable oil, mint flavoured milk, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Continue whisking and slowly stream in the remaining caster sugar, until stiff, shiny peaks form. Stir one third of the egg whites briskly into the egg yolk-flour mixture. Then gently fold through the remaining egg whites. The mixture should be light and foamy.

Scrape into a large 25cm, ungreased tube pan. Bake on the lowest oven rack for 70 minutes, or until springing back when lightly pressed. Check the cake at 45 minutes and if the top is browning or cracking, oil a piece of foil and cover the top of the cake.

Remove cake from oven and turn the pan upside down immediately (the cake should stick to the pan) and leave to cool completely – this stops the cake from deflating. When the cake is completely cool, run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, and turn it out.

If desired, whisk together icing sugar and lemon juice to form a thin icing, and pour over the top, letting it drip down the sides. Decorate with mint leaves and edible flowers.