WHAT YOU DO
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 175C. Grease and line the bottom of your cake tin or if using individual silicone moulds, grease with a light layer of butter or cake tin spray.
Step 2. For the cake, first you need to brown the butter. Add the butter to a saucepan on medium heat, whisking continuously so it browns evenly. Once it reaches a dark amber colour, remove it from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Allow to cool. Browning butter toasts the milk solids in the butter and adds an amazing nutty depth of flavour to your bakes.
Step 3. Add the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and cooled butter to another bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together to form a thick batter. Pour into the cake tin until three-quarters of the way full. If making minis, weigh 85g of mix per mould.
Step 5. Bake the full cake for 35-40 minutes, testing after 35 minutes. Bake the individual cakes for 15 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.
Step 6. To make the icing, add all of the ingredients into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or you can add to a mixing bowl and use a hand whisk. Whisk on high for about 3 minutes until the icing has thickened; it should hold its shape on the whisk and have a spreadable, stable consistency.
Step 7. To make the praline, roughly chop the walnuts then transfer onto a lined baking tray. Toast in the oven for 7 minutes at 175C, stirring halfway through, then remove from the oven. In the meantime, make the caramel. Add the sugar to a saucepan with about three tablespoons of water and stir to wet all the sugar – don't stir again after this or the sugar can crystallise. On a medium heat, cook the sugar until it’s a deep amber colour. To cook evenly, swirl the saucepan to avoid crystallising. Quickly and carefully pour the caramel over the toasted walnuts, then sprinkle a generous pinch of Maldon sea salt over the top. Allow to cool, then transfer to a food processor and roughly blitz up. Store in an airtight container at room temperature and use any extra on other bakes, porridge or just as a snack.
Step 8. To finish, pipe or spoon a thick layer of icing onto the cooled individual cakes – if you’ve opted for the whole cake, simply spread a thick layer on top. Sprinkle over the praline, then garnish with seasonal fruit. We love the tartness of raspberries in the summer or try spiced apples in the winter.
Recipe by Kate O'Sullivan and Elyse Clarke of Fable Bakery, photo by Ruth Calder-Potts
