Caramel and cinnamon cake

Ingredients

• For the cake
• 8 free-range eggs
• 290 g/10 oz light brown sugarv
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 200 g/7 oz plain flour
• 1 tsp fresh nutmeg
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 45 g/1½ oz unsalted butter, melted, cooled
• For the caramel meringue buttercream
• 160 ml/5½ fl oz water
• 250 g/8¾ oz sugar
• 5 free-range egg whites, at room temperature
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 300 g/10½ oz unsalted butter, softened
• For the sugar syrup
• 50 g/1¾ oz sugar
• 120 ml/4¼ fl oz water
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract

Preparation: Less than 30 mins
Cooking: 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves: 12

Method:

• Preheat oven to 175C/350F/Gas 4. Line three 20cm/8in sandwich tins, but don’t grease them.
• Whisk the eggs lightly in a bowl until foaming, then slowly whisk in the sugar using an electric whisk. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and continue to whisk until the sugar has melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage.
• Mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and corn flour together in a bowl. Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold together. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture until well combined.
• Beat a small amount of the cake batter into the butter, then fold this mixture into the rest of the cake batter.
• Divide the cake batter among the cake tins and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cooled, run a round-bladed knife around the inside edge of the tins and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, for the caramel meringue butter-cream, whisk the egg whites in a free-standing mixer until frothy. Add the cream of tartar then whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until the temperature reaches 115C/238F (use a sugar thermometer to check this).
• Pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl of egg whites and continue whisking until the mixture is glossy and cooled. Then slowly beat in the butter a little at a time, ensuring all the butter is incorporated before adding more. The icing will be thick and smooth.
• For the sugar syrup, heat the sugar and water over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the volume of the liquid has reduced slightly. Add the vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
• To decorate the cake, brush the cakes with sugar syrup using a pastry brush, then use the caramel icing to fill and ice the top and sides.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

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