Pistachio praline & vanilla cake

• caster sugar↗200g g
• softened butter200g g
• eggs↗4

  beaten

• self-raising flour↗150g g
• pistachio↗100g g
• baking powder↗ tsp
• milk↗ tbsp
• pot full fat soft cheese↗200g g
• caster sugar↗100g g
• vanilla

  essence

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

Step-by-step instructions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 4

   For the filling mix the soft cheese with the caster sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence.

5. 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.