Fiona:
This is a surprising nutty little cake piled with vanilla bean mascarpone/cream stirred through with an easy tart peach & apricot compote, toasted hazelnuts & chunks of my Salted Comb Honey. If you’re short of time or stone fruit aren’t in season, use store bought fruit compote as a substitute.
Cake:
200g caster sugar
170g butter, softened
4 eggs
170g sour cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100g almond flour
70g ground hazelnuts
200g plain flour, sifted
1 1/2tsp baking powder
Stone fruit cream:
500g stone fruit, halved, stones removed (I used apricots & peaches)
250g caster sugar
To serve:
Mascarpone
Fresh honeycomb
A few toasted hazelnuts & sea salt flakes to sprinkle
A few edible flowers (I used bee-friendly alyssum)
Can be made ahead of time
1) Place sugar and fruit in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir, simmering for 15mins until slightly syrupy.
2) Pour into a clean jar and keep in the fridge.
1) Preheat oven to 160c (320 °F) fan bake. Grease & line 2 x 26cm round cake tins.
2) In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter & sugar and beat until pale and thickened.
3) Continue beating and add the eggs one at a time until combined. Add the vanilla paste, sour cream and the ground nuts and mix.
4) Fold in the flour and baking powder until just mixed – don’t over-mix.
5) Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins. Bake for 30mins or when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
6) Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
1) Beat the mascarpone with a wooden spoon until light. Add a few spoons of fruit compote and fold through to make a ripple effect.
2) Place one cake on a platter and smear with half the stone fruit cream.
3) Top with the other cake (secure with a toothpick or two if needed) and smear over the rest of the cream.
4) Arrange chunks of honeycomb on the top. Sprinkle with salt, toasted crushed hazelnuts and sea salt.
5) Place a few delicate little edible flowers on the top.
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