Orange passionfruit toffee cake

ingredients

• Orange passionfruit toffee cake

  • 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 185 gram butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar, plus 1 cup extra
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cup self-raising flour
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon canned passionfruit pulp

• Passionfruit icing

  • 250 gram butter, at room temperature
  • 200 gram cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoon canned passionfruit pulp

method

• Orange passionfruit toffee cake

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.Grease and line a 19cm (base measurement)square cake pan with baking paper.

  • 2

    Combine poppy seeds and milk in a small bowl; stand for 20 minutes.

  • 3

    Using an electric mixer, beat butter, zest and sugar in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, one by one,until just combined (mixture will appear curdled). Stir in half the sifted flour, the poppy seed mixture and orange juice, then remaining flour. Spoon mixture into prepared pan; level surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

  • 4

    Line a shallow oven tray with baking paper. Combine extra sugar and the water in a small saucepan over low heat; cook and stir until sugar dissolves (don’t boil). Increase heat to high. Boil for 10 minutes or until syrup turns a rich golden colour. Remove pan from heat.

  • 5

    Add passionfruit (take care, as syrup will splatter). Gently swirl pan to combine. Return pan to heat and boil for 30 seconds.Pour syrup over prepared tray; tilt pan to form a thin, even layer. Cool and set. Break toffee into shards.

  • 6

    Make passionfruit icing: Using an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and passionfruit to give a spreadable consistency.

  • 7

    Cut cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place 1 layer on a serving plate. Spread cake with a third of the passionfruit icing. Repeat layering, ending with icing. Top with shards.

notes

To keep toffee from crystallising, dissolve all the sugar completely before boiling. To remove undissolved sugar from the sides of pan, dip a heatproof pastry brush into hot water and brush down the side. Don’t stir the syrup while boiling; simply swirl the pan gently if necessary. Make toffee shards on day of serving. Avoid making them during humid weather, because moisture in the air will cause the shards to soften.