Surrey Homes | SH17 | March 2016 | Fashion supplement inside

Apple and Butterscotch cake
For the cake:
• 120g OO or extra fine flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 200g caster sugar
• 7 eggs, separated
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp ground ginger
• 25cm non-stick angel cake tin
For the butterscotch icing:
• 70g unsalted butter
• 120g dark brown sugar
• 80ml double cream
• 360g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
For the caramel shards:
• 400g caster sugar
1. Pre heat oven to 160 oC/140 oC fan/gas mark 3.
2. Sift flour and salt three times, set aside.
3. Whisk together the egg yolks and half the
sugar. When the eggs are pale in colour, add
your spices and vanilla. Whisk again until fully
incorporated.
4. Sift the flour over the egg yolk mixture, set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and
cream of tartar until it has tripled in volume,
then add the remaining sugar. Carry on whisking
until the mixture forms soft peaks.
6. Fold in the yolk mixture a spoon at a time,
being careful not to lose any air. Gently scrape
the mixture into the tin, levelling the top with a
spatula.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out
clean and the cake feels springy.
8. Remove from the oven, turn upside down and
balance on the neck of a bottle for about one
and a half hours, a long-necked wine bottle is
perfect for this. To remove the cake from the tin
slide a thin knife around the sides and gently
ease the cake out from the tin.
9. To make the butterscotch icing: half fill a
saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer,
place a glass bowl over the water and add the
butter, sugar and cream, whisk until melted and
smooth. Take it off the heat and let it cool. Add
the vanilla and sift in the icing sugar. Whisk
until smooth.
10. To make the caramel shards: firstly you need a
heavy bottomed pan and a thermometer. Place
the sugar into the pan over a high heat and bring
to the boil, add the thermometer, do not stir
when boiling as that can cause crystals to form.
Once the thermometer reaches 190˚C or 374˚F
take it off the heat. Spread the caramel on to a
sheet of parchment so it becomes a thin layer.
Leave to set.
11. Take your cake, using a pallet knife spread the
butterscotch icing all over the cake ensuring you
coat the middle hole too as the cake can dry out.
12. Lift the caramel from the parchment and break
into shards and decorate as you choose!