Instructions

Start by preheating the oven to 180ºC and line a 21cm loose-bottomed cake tin.

Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs into two bowls and then whisk the egg yolks and sugar with the vanilla lemon zest until smooth and fluffy. Add in the flour and the lemon juice, whisking until entirely combined.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until then form stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture (it’s best to do a spoonful to loosen the yolk mixture and then fold the rest in – less air is lost that way), the resulting mixture will be white a soft.

You need to bake (in theory) 6 sponges from this mixture. Pour a sixth of the mixture into the tin and place in the centre of the oven for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Once cooked, immediately remove from the tin and place on a wire wrack to cool. Repeat until you’ve got all the sponge layers. This is where you decide how many layers you wish, and bake accordingly (remembering that thicker sponges will take longer to cook).

Set the layers aside to cool and make the buttercream. Put the buttercream ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

To make the caramel, put the sugar into a small pan with the lemon juice. Stir constantly over a medium heat, until melted and turned the colour of – well – caramel (it’s a rich dark golden colour). Pick the best looking, most even sponge and place it in the centre of the wire wrack and cover the work surface underneath with baking paper or similar (this stops caramel gluing itself to the work surface).

From here you need to work quickly. Drizzle this sponge liberally in caramel and spread it so there is a translucent, golden covering across all of the sponge. Before the caramel sets you need to cut the caramel-coated sponge into 8 pieces (or more if you wish a more delicate look) – use a really sharp knife and slice across the layer, then separate to let the caramel roll down the sides.

Assemble the torte by putting one layer on a plate and covering in a layer of buttercream (the layer should be as thick as your sponge). Repeat this process, stacking up the layers, until you have used all but your caramel-coated sponge wedges. Make the top layer of buttercream a little thicker. Then cover the outsides of the cake in the buttercream (making sure to leave about 2 tablespoons worth) and then sprinkle the ground almond around the outside of the cake.

Finally, add each of the caramel wedges on to the top, using a little blob of buttercream under each one to give them the slanted look. To get the most even finish alternate sides so as to ensure it is symmetrical. Leave in a cool place to set for at least two hours, then slice and enjoy.