Name: Salted Caramel Christmas Cake
Ingredients: 230 g unsalted butter (softened, plus extra for the tin); 150 g pecans (finely chopped); 100 g hazelnuts (finely chopped); 200 g dates (roughly chopped); 300 g sultanas; 100 g toffee (roughly chopped); 225 g plain flour; ½ tsp fine sea salt; 200 g light brown soft sugar; 50 g ground almonds; 4 large eggs; 2 tbsp black treacle; 4 tbsp spiced rum; 3 tbsp dulce de leche; 100 g golden syrup; 50 g unsalted butter; ½ tsp sea salt flakes; 50 g pecans; 100 g blanched hazelnuts; 50 g flaked almonds; 50 g plain flour

Instructies

STEP 1 – Preparation:

Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
Butter the base of a loose-bottomed 20cm cake tin (at least 7cm deep).
Line the base with baking parchment, then wrap a wide band of parchment around the outside of the tin and tie to secure.

STEP 2 – Cake:

Combine both types of nuts, dates, sultanas, and toffee in a bowl.
Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and ground almonds in another bowl.
Beat the butter, eggs, treacle, and rum into the flour mixture with an electric whisk until smooth.
Stir the fruit and nut mix into the wet ingredients.
Gently fold through the dulce de leche to create a ripple effect.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 1 hr, then reduce the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
Cover the cake with a circle of baking parchment and bake for another 1 hr 25 mins, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Set aside (don’t remove from the tin) and increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

STEP 3 – Topping:

To make the topping, gently heat the syrup and butter in a pan.
Stir in the salt, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, and flour.
Remove the parchment circle from the cake.
Dot the surface with the topping and bake for 12-15 mins more until golden.

Salted Caramel Christmas Cake