Nicola Moores, while studying at Victoria University, worked for our catering company. For one year she studied in Italy and very kindly passed this recipe onto me. It is a low sided, plain Jane cake full of flavour.

· Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 23cm spring form cake tin with baking spray. Line the base with baking paper.

· Into a food processor fitted with metal blade place bread, almonds and chopped rosemary. Process to a mealy consistency. Transfer to a bowl.

· Add sugar and baking powder and stir to combine.

· Add lemon zest, oil and egg yolks and stir to combine.

· Place egg whites into a bowl and whisk until stiff.

· Add half the egg whites to cake mixture and fold until barely incorporated. Add remaining egg whites and gently fold until fully incorporated.

· Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and place into preheated oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm to the touch and beginning to come away from the sides.

· Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

· To make syrup: Place lemon juice, water, castor sugar and rosemary sprigs into a small pot set over a gentle heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes to allow rosemary to infuse and for syrup to thicken. Cool and strain.

· Using a skewer pierce holes in the warm cake and pour syrup over the cake. If cake is cold then reheat the syrup before pouring over cake.

· Serve cake cold with whipped cream or yoghurt.