Greg Rutherford’s salted caramel | Recipes

Ingredients

For the cake:

• Some butter for greasing
• 225g plain flour 
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 85g cocoa powder
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 2 large free range eggs
• 125g full-fat Greek yoghurt
• 125ml whole milk
• 125ml sunflower oil
• 2tsp vanilla bean paste

For the salted caramel butter-cream icing:

• 300g dark muscovado sugar
• 200ml double cream
• 320g unsalted butter, softened
• 1tsp sea salt flakes

For the peanut brittle: 

• Oil for greasing
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g salted peanuts

How to prepare this salted caramel and peanut brittle showstopper:

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease 2 x 20cm x 4.5cm deep cake tins with plenty of butter, and line the bases with baking paper. Boil the kettle.
2. Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large mixing bowl and, using an electric whisk or wooden spoon, beat together until smooth. Measure 250ml of boiling water into a jug and add to the cake batter a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in their tins, on a wire rack.
3. Meanwhile make the icing. Put the sugar, double cream and 80g of the butter into a saucepan and set over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt, then turn up the heat and bring to the boil – stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave the butterscotch sauce to cool completely.
4. For the peanut brittle topping, oil a lipped baking tray and set aside. Put the sugar and 2 tbsp water into a small saucepan. Set over a low heat and allow the sugar to dissolve - do not stir. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Let it bubble and turn a dark amber colour – this could take 10-20 minutes, watch over it at all times. When it reaches dark amber throw in the peanuts and stir to coat them with the caramel, then quickly pour onto the greased baking tray and leave to cool until solid.
5. Once the butterscotch sauce is completely cool finishing making the icing. Put the remaining butter into a bowl and, using an electric whisk, beat until pale and fluffy – you could also do this in a freestanding mixer using the whisk attachment. With the whisk still going, gradually pour in the butterscotch sauce and continue whisking until the icing is light and pale in colour. Finally, stir through the salt.
6. To assemble the cake, place one of the chocolate sponges onto a cake stand, then spread over half the butter-cream icing. Gently place the other cake on top and spoon over the remaining butter-cream, creating swirls as you go. To finish, put the peanut brittle into the small bowl of a food processor and roughly blitz to create your sand, then sprinkle on top of the cake to create a ‘long jump pit’. You could also pile the blitzed brittle in the centre of the cake or scatter it evenly over the surface.