Name: Pistachio praline & vanilla cake
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Cuts into 10 slices
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200g caster sugar; 200g softened butter; 4 eggs beaten; 150g self-raising flour; 100g pistachio; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp milk; 200g pot full fat soft cheese; 100g caster sugar; a few drops vanilla essence; 2 tbsp water; 100g caster sugar; a handful of roughly chopped pistachios

For the cake

For the pistachio & vanilla filling

200g pot full fat soft cheese
100g caster sugar
a few drops vanilla
essence

For the topping

2 tbsp water
100g caster sugar
a handful of roughly chopped pistachios

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
step 2
Blitz the pistachios in a food processor until very fine. Add the self-raising flour and caster sugar to the nuts and blitz until completely combined. Add eggs, baking powder and milk and mix together.
step 3
Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
step 4
For the filling mix the soft cheese with the caster sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence.
step 5
Sandwich the sponges with the filling. For the topping, stir 2 tbsp water with 100g caster sugar in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on High for 3-4 mins until bubbling and starting to caramelise. Stir in a handful of roughly chopped pistachios then quickly spoon onto the cake. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.