Almond Praline Cake

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Makes 1 cake
Ingredients
For The Praline

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup coarsely ground cashew nuts (kaju)
• oil for greasing
• greased rolling board
• greased rolling pin
• greased knife or metal dough cutter

For The Cake

• 1 vanilla cake [175 mm (7”)]
• 1/2 cup sugar syrup
• 1 1/2 cups plain butter cream icing , refer handy tip
• a few drops of lemon yellow food colour
• a few drops of almond essence

Finish The Cake

• pastry comb
• 1/4 cup butter cream icing (from above)
• 6 praline triangles (from above)
• leftover crushed praline (from above)
• plastic piping bag fitted with a no 5 star nozzle
• turntable

Method
For the praline

1. Melt the sugar in a pan on a slow flame.
2. Carefully take a little sugar syrup with the laddle, place it on your thumb, press your index finger against it and check if you get a 1-string consistency. If so, then syrup is ready and if not, then continue cooking , while stirring continuously till you get a 1-string consistency.
3. Once it has melted, add the coarsely ground cashew nuts and mix well to make the praline.
4. Grease a flat rolling board with a little oil.
5. Pour the mixture on the greased flat surface and roll it with the greased rolling pin so as to get a thin layer. Do not touch the praline at this point as it will be really hot and can cause serious burns.
6. To make small triangles, cut parallel lines at a distance of 25 mm. (1") with the help of a knife or a metal dough cutter.
7. Then cut the praline diagonally to form a triangle. Make 6 such triangles and keep aside.
8. Crush the remaining praline coarsely with a rolling pin. Keep aside.

For the cake

1. Slice the sponge cake horizontally into 2 equal parts. Keep aside.
2. Combine the plain butter cream icing, food colour and almond essence in a bowl and mix well using a wooden spoon. Keep ¼ cup of butter cream icing aside for the decoration.
3. Soak the bottom layer of the sponge cake with ½ the soaking syrup.
4. Spread ½ cup of butter cream icing on the soaked layer of the cake.
5. Sprinkle a little crushed praline on top and sandwich with the second layer of the sponge cake.
6. Soak the second layer of the cake with the remaining soaking syrup and spread the remaining butter cream icing cream evenly on top and at the sides.
7. Transfer the cake onto a cake board and refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.

Finish the cake

1. Place the cake on a turntable and run a pastry comb along the sides.
2. Fill the plastic disposable piping bag fitted with a no. 5 star nozzle with the butter cream icing. Hold the piping bag in your hand and move your wrist anti-clockwise while applying gentle pressure to make a swirl.
3. Finish the circle and gently lift it in a single motion to form a peak.
4. Repeat to make 6 swirls on top of the cake.
5. Using the crushed praline, decorate the center and the base of the cake.
6. Place 1 praline triangle on each swirl.
7. Cut into 6 equal wedges and serve