Tosca Cake

I recently found this recipe in the Nordic Bakery Cookbook and loved it. The book itself is a real winner, unpretentious, easy to follow and full of both sweet and savoury recipes. The bakery itself can be found in London, so next time I'm there I'll definitely pay it a visit!

Tosca Cake is a delicate buttery sponge adorned with a crunchy praline-like almond topping. It's a lovely one to have when you just fancy something sweet with a cup of tea or coffee!

Prep Time: 20 Mins

Baking Time: 45 Mins (ish!)

4 Medium Eggs

170g Caster Sugar

200ml Double Cream

100g Unsalted Butter (Melted and Cooled)

2tsp Vanilla Extract

260g Plain Flour

For the topping...

75g Unsalted Butter

75g Caster Sugar

50ml Double Cream

25g Plain Flour

75g Flaked Almonds

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and grease/line a 29cm springform tin. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk for about ten minutes, until the mixture is a thick foam and very pale in colour. Fold in the cream, butter and vanilla very gently. Sift in the flour and baking powder and again fold in gently. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.

While the cake is baking you can get on with the 'Tosca' topping, which is surprisingly easy! Just put all the ingredients into a pan and stir over a low heat until it all comes gently up to the boil. Remove the baked cake from the oven, then spread the topping evenly over and return for a further 10-15 minutes. When it's golden and slightly caramalised on top you're good to go!