Caramel almond torte with macerated cherries
SERVES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR
15 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME) This recipe is another nod to my mother’s Danish heritage. A classic Scandinavian cake recipe, toscakaka is essentially a simple butter cake topped with a caramel-y almond layer. Mine is a simplified version of something my grandmother would make often and is absolutely wonderful with any kind of fresh seasonal fruit or just served on its own with lightly whipped cold cream. 250g unsalted butter, softened 1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature 2 cups (300g) self-raising flour ⅓ cup (80ml) milk
2 cups (500ml) thickened cream, whipped, to serve TOPPING 100g unsalted butter, chopped 1¼ cups (100g) flaked almonds ½ cup (110g) caster sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste 2 tablespoons plain flour
⅓ cup (80ml) pouring cream
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 25cm round cake pan; line the base and side with baking paper.
2 Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Fold in the flour and milk in two batches. Spread mixture into pan.
3 Bake cake for 40 minutes or until risen, pale gold and almost cooked.
4 TOPPING Meanwhile, place the butter, almonds, sugar, vanilla, flour and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the cake is almost ready to top, start cooking the almond mixture, stirring, until just melted and combined. Wait until it starts to bubble then remove from heat.
5 Spoon the hot topping over the top of the cake. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
Let it cool in the pan. 6 Serve cake with Macerated Cherries (recipe below) and whipped cream. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.