← Nouns Cooking · Bakery

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour
• 30 g caster sugar
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
• ½ tsp Salt
• 125 ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 1 large egg
• 50 g unsalted butter, soft
• 75 g unsalted butter
• 75 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
• 100 g flaked almonds
• 400 ml whole milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 60 g caster sugar
• 35 g Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
• 200 ml double (heavy) cream, cold

Method

1. Make the vanilla cream base first. Whisk the yolks, sugar, cornflour and a splash of the milk in a bowl. Heat the rest of the milk until steaming, whisk it in, then pour everything back into the pan and whisk over medium heat until it boils and turns very thick, about 2–3 min. Stir in the vanilla, press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. For the dough, mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the milk, egg and soft butter and knead for 8–10 min (or 5 min in a stand mixer) until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled.
3. Butter a 23 cm springform tin. Press the dough evenly into it, cover and leave to rise again while you make the topping.
4. For the topping, melt the butter, sugar, honey and cream in a small pan, then bubble gently for 3 min until slightly thickened. Stir in the almonds and cool for 10 min.
5. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Spoon the topping carefully over the risen dough and spread it to the edges. Bake for 25–30 min until the topping is deep golden and caramelised. Cool completely in the tin.
6. Whip the cold cream to soft peaks. Beat the chilled custard until smooth, then fold in the cream.
7. Slice the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Cut the almond top into 10 wedges first (it shatters otherwise), spread the cream over the base and set the wedges back on top. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Tips

• Contains tree nuts (almonds).
• Eat within 2 days and keep it in the fridge because of the cream filling.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

King Arthur Baking BBC Food