Recipe: Horlicks and caramel cake

Ingredients

Sponge
50g butter, softened
250g castor sugar
100ml Horlicks (10ml [2 tsp] Horlicks powder with 100ml boiling water), cooled
300g cake flour
15ml (1 tbsp) baking powder
Pinch salt
5 large eggs
100g pecan nuts, chopped

Icing
250g butter, softened
500g icing sugar, sifted
35ml Horlicks (30ml [2 tbsp] Horlicks powder mixed with 30ml [2 tbsp] warm water)
15ml (1 tbsp) coffee, very strong and warm

Caramel sauce
60ml (¼ cup) golden syrup
50g butter
50g demerara sugar
50g castor sugar
85ml fresh double-thick cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 24cm springform tin.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until thickened and fluffy. Mix in the cooled Horlicks.

3. Sift the dry ingredients and fold into the creamed mixture with the eggs and pecan nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven, 30 – 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the icing, cream the butter using an electric beater. Add half the icing sugar and beat to combine. Add the warm Horlicks and coffee, followed by the remaining icing sugar and continue to beat until you have a thick, fluffy butter icing.

6. For the caramel sauce, place the syrup, butter and sugars in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the cream. Return to heat and simmer, about 2 – 3 minutes. Pour into a container and refrigerate until thickened.

7. To serve, cut the cooled cake into three equal layers, sandwich together with the icing and pour over the caramel sauce.

Brought to you by Food and Home

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