Serves 8
Ingredients
For the honeycomb
- a little sunflower oil, for brushing
- 75g (2½oz) golden caster sugar
- small pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
For the cake
- butter, for greasing
- 4 eggs, separated
- 85g (3oz) golden caster sugar
- 500ml (17fl oz) plain natural yoghurt
- zest of ½ orange
- 35g (1¼oz) plain flour
- 100g (3½oz) cobnuts, shelled and lightly broken
Method
First, make the honeycomb (it’s pretty easy). Lay out a non-stick silicone mat, or a piece of lightly oiled baking parchment over a baking sheet. Melt the sugar with the pinch of salt in a small, heavy-based non-stick pan over a medium heat, for about 6–8 minutes, until it is just melted but still very light in colour. You can encourage the sugar to melt by gently agitating the pan every so often. Be very careful that the sugar doesn’t burn, which would give it a bitter flavour.
As soon as the sugar is ready, add the bicarbonate of soda to the pan in a single sprinkling motion and work it in quickly with a wooden spoon. If all goes to plan, the sugar will froth and pillow. Stir it quickly and carefully for 2–3 seconds, then pour it out over the silicone mat or oiled baking parchment. Leave the honeycomb undisturbed for 15–20 minutes, until it has cooled and firmed up.
Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Lightly grease a 20cm (8in) cake tin. Place the egg yolks in a food mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add two-thirds of the sugar and whisk for 5 minutes, until thick and pale. Gently fold in the yoghurt, then the orange zest, then the flour.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar until the mixture forms soft peaks. Carefully fold the sweetened whites into the yoghurt batter. Finally, incorporate two-thirds (about 70g/2½oz) of the broken cobnuts. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. Bash the honeycomb into small crumbs and shards and sprinkle over the cake along with the remaining cobnuts, then serve.
