A special-occasion cake with a gorgeous crunchy topping
Diana Henry
The Telegraph's award-winning cookery writer
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
Published
This is a cake to make for afternoon tea or to serve after dinner with cream. I started out thinking of it as a showstopper – two layers, cream as well as caramel – but I’m ultimately someone who ends up making things simpler. This could look grander and be more blousy but its flavour wouldn’t be improved. All the same, it’s one to bake for a friend for a special occasion.
Requires cooling time.
Overview
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
50 mins
Serves
10
Ingredients
- 115g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 140g plain chocolate, chopped, plus a couple of squares to decorate
- 150g soft light-brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 130g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the caramel-hazelnut topping
- 200g granulated sugar
- 1½ tbsp golden syrup
- 125ml double cream
- 30g butter
- 90g blanched hazelnuts, halved and lightly toasted
Method
Step
Preheat the oven to 160C/150C fan/gas mark 3. Butter a 20-22cm springform cake tin and line the base.
Step
Put 115g butter and 140g chopped plain chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set this over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Stir a little to help them melt, then lift the bowl off the saucepan and set it aside to cool.
Step
Beat 150g soft light-brown sugar and 3 large eggs together with an electric mixer until pale and increased in volume.
Step
Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter, then add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Step
Quickly fold in 130g plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and a good pinch of salt, being careful not to over mix.
Step
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean.
Step
Allow the cake to cool in its tin for about 15 minutes, then slide a knife around the edge of the cake, unclasp the tin and remove the ring. Remove the base and peel off the paper.
Step
Put the cake, the right way up, on to a wire cooling rack. Don’t worry if the cake sinks a little in the centre.
Step
To make the topping, put 200g granulated sugar and 1½ tbsp golden syrup into a medium-sized saucepan with 125ml water.
Step
Set it over a low-medium heat. Don’t stir the mixture but tip the saucepan slightly to ensure that the sugar is melting (some of the sugar tends to gather at one side of the pan).
Step
Once melted, turn the heat up and cook until the mixture has caramelised. You’ll know when it gets to this point by how it smells as well as by the colour. If you don’t take it far enough, the topping will be really sweet, so do get it to the caramel stage.
Step
Immediately pull the pan off the heat and pour over 125ml double cream, standing well back as the mixture will hiss and spit. Add 30g butter and stir until the caramel is smooth, then stir in 90g lightly toasted blanched hazelnuts (halved).
Step
Spoon the hazelnuts on top of the cake, allowing the excess caramel to drip down the sides. The top should be completely covered in nuts and caramel. Leave to set for a while (though the caramel will stay slightly soft).
Step
Carefully transfer the cake to a plate and decorate with some shavings of chocolate.
Step
Serve it with either whipped cream or crème fraîche. It’s best to dip the blade of the knife you’re using to cut the cake into boiling water – that way you’ll be able to slice through the caramel more easily.