OLIVE OIL & TOASTED ALMOND CAKE WITH BURNT HONEY CREAM

Everyone should have a few onebowl cake recipes up their sleeve. This one is particularly good: simple enough to make on the day you need it, but different enough to feel special. I’ll often make more than I need of the burnt honey cream to use on anything else, so don’t skip it!

SERVES 8-10

60g whole almonds, skin on 135g olive oil, plus extra for greasing

170g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 50ml milk

160g plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder pinch of fine sea salt 20g flaked almonds

For the burnt honey cream

★ 150g honey

★ 250ml whipping cream

★ pinch of fine sea salt

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line with baking paper.

2 Put the whole almonds on a baking tray and roast for

15-18 minutes. Leave to cool, then blitz in a food processor until fine.

3 Put the olive oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk to combine then stir in the milk. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds, and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the cake tin and top with the flaked almonds.

4 Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned and a skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

5 Put the honey in a small pan and bring to the boil, swirling the pan often to heat evenly, until the honey is a deep amber. Remove from the heat and pour in the cream. Be careful as it will spit. Stir to combine, add salt and pour into a bowl. Chill in the fridge until cold. Serve with the cake as a pouring cream or whip to form soft peaks.

Make ahead

Make the cake 2 days in advance.