Whether you’re making it for a dinner party, a special occasion, or just because it’s Saturday and life is short, this honey and almond cake with mascarpone, fresh figs and pistachios gives you every reason to have your cake and eat it too – then maybe sneak a slice for breakfast tomorrow. Recipe compliments of GOLDCREST.

Ingredients

Cake

• 125 g butter
• 250 ml castor sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 375 ml cake flour
• 7.5 ml baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 250 ml sour cream
• 45 ml milk
• 250 ml almond flour
• 2 ml almond essence

Honey syrup

• 125 ml GOLDCREST Pure Honey
• 125 ml water
• 30 ml lemon juice
• 2 ml almond essence

Topping:

• 250 g mascarpone
• 6 fresh figs, sliced or quartered
• 125 ml gooseberries
• 60 ml chopped pistachios
• 60 ml GOLDCREST honey

Method

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180◦ C. Grease and line a 20 cm in diameter by 6 cm high cake pan with baking paper. Cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy and pale.
2. Add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
3. Add together with the sour cream, milk, almond flour and almond essence to the creamed mixture. Mix well.
4. Spoon into the prepared cake pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Leave to stand for 5 minutes in the pan before turning out.
6. Turn out onto a wire rack and drizzle the honey syrup over.

Syrup

1. Boil the honey, water, lemon juice and almond essence together for 5 minutes.
2. Drizzle over the cake.
3. Transfer the cake to a serving plate once cooled.

Topping

1. Spread the mascarpone over the cake and top with sliced figs, gooseberries and chopped pistachio nuts.
2. Drizzle with honey.