To add another flavour to the Brown Sugar Custard Buttercream, whip in 50ml Baileys or rum.
Ingredients
- For the Almond Cake
- 200g ground almonds
- 100g icing sugar
- 5 tblsp cornflour
- 6 large egg whites
- 85g caster sugar
- For the Brown Sugar Custard Buttercream
- 6 egg yolks
- 140g light brown sugar
- 5 tblsp cornflour
- 450ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g unsalted butter – very soft
- 200g good quality chocolate
Method
- Preheat oven to 200oC.
- Get a large baking tray, 14inches x 12niches, greased and lined with baking paper.
- Sieve the ground almonds, icing sugar and cornflour together.
- In a very clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Next add in the caster sugar and whisk for 20 seconds. Then gently fold in the ground almond mixture. Spread the mixture out onto the baking tray.
- Bake until golden brown for about 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven. Leave to cool completely. Then put the sponge onto a chopping board. Peel off the baking paper and cut into 4 equal vertical wide strips.
- For the Brown Sugar Custard Buttercream: Whisk the eggs, light brown sugar and cornflour together. Heat the milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture. Whisk together and pour the mixture into a clean saucepan. Whisk on a high heat, until the mixture becomes very thick. Continue whisking over a high heat for one minute.
- Pour the hot custard into a flat tray or large plate, cover with cling film and leave until completely cold. Once cold, put the custard into a large bowl. Begin whisking, and add in small amounts of butter until light and fluffy.
- For the Chocolate Sauce: Chop up the chocolate into small pieces. Place into a heatproof bowl with 6-8 tablespoons of hot water. Put over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted.
- To assemble the cake, spread a thin layer of brown sugar custard buttercream over one piece of almond sponge, then place another piece of almond sponge on top, spread another layer of the buttercream, followed with a third layer of cake then butter cream. Then place the last piece of cake on top. Pipe around the edge of the top of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Then pour the chocolate sauce on top on the cake, inside the buttercream. Leave the cake in the fridge for about an hour before slicing.
- Tips:
- Top tip - Add a pinch of salt when whipping the egg white to help them whip faster.
- To add another flavour to the Brown Sugar Custard Buttercream, whip in 50ml Baileys or rum.
