Our kitchen has been full of delicious scents recently! Today as well as this scrumptious cake, I also made some slow-cooker granola, and a large pot of spaghetti sauce for a bolognese which we shall be eating for our evening meal today. It has been a beautiful, sunny day with hazy blue skies, cool but very pretty. We went for a long walk around the park and did enjoy the fresh air. Then I had to rush back, to get this cake made in time to be able to ice it before tea-time! It's easy to make - just a little more work than the coffee and walnut cake I made last week, and I'm happy to share the recipe with you!
To make this lovely cake you will need ...
For The Cake ...
200 g dark brown sugar
200 g butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
50 g golden syrup (if you can't get this, use dark corn syrup or even maple syrup instead)
4 eggs, beaten
200 g self-rising flour
For The Frosting ...
50 g butter or margarine
100 g dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream
200 g icing (powdered) sugar
1. Prepare two 7 inch round tins, and pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and butter or margarine until lighter in colour and fluffy.
3. To this add the golden syrup, vanilla and the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition.
4. Fold in the flour, mixing well. Scoop the mixture into the 2 prepared tins, and place in the centre of the oven.
5. Bake for approximately 25 minutes - mine were done in 23 - until the cakes are well risen and spring back when tapped lightly in the centre. This cake is meant to be quite squishy so don't overbake it. Remove the cakes from the tins immediately and allow to cool on a wire rack.
6. When the cakes are completely cold, make the frosting (it needs to be used immediately so don't do it beforehand). Place the butter or margarine and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and allow to melt, stirring to prevent the sugar from sticking. Allow to simmer for a minute or so.
7. Now add the 4 tablespoons of cream, stirring well. Keep the heat reasonably low, and simmer for exactly 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. When the 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat and add the 200 g icing sugar. Stir thoroughly and keep on stirring while the mixture cools, until it is thick enough to use.
9. Immediately spread on the top surface of the first cake, then top this with the second cake and repeat.
I used some chopped pieces of fudge to decorate the cake, but chopped pecans, crushed honeycomb candy or toffee pieces would also be delicious.
Enjoy!
