SOUR CREAM & MANDARIN SYRUP CAKE

SERVES 12. PREP 20 MINS. COOK 1 HR 15 MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 250g butter, softened

• 1½ cups caster sugar

• 2 tsp finely grated mandarin rind

• 4 eggs, at room temperature

• ½ cup sour cream, plus extra to serve

• 1½ cups self-raising flour

• ¾ cup almond meal

• 2 tbsp mandarin juice MANDARIN SYRUP

• ½ cup mandarin juice

• 1¼ cups caster sugar

• 3 mandarins, peeled, thickly sliced

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease a 6.5cm-deep, 20cm round cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.

2 Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and mandarin rind until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream. Sift flour over mixture. Stir to just combine. Stir in almond meal and mandarin juice.

3 Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (cover with foil if overbrowning).

4 Meanwhile, make mandarin syrup: Place mandarin juice, sugar and 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add mandarin slices. Turn to coat. Remove from heat.

5 Remove cake from oven. Using a skewer, pierce top of warm cake several times. Drizzle half the hot syrup over cake in pan. Stand for 15 minutes for syrup to be absorbed.

6 Transfer cake to a serving plate with sides. Top with mandarin slices and drizzle with remaining syrup. Serve warm with extra sour cream. – Louise Patniotis