Salted Pecan Cake has a gooey pecan topping with soft yellow cake beneath. Make it for a dinner party, gift it to a friend, or keep it all for yourself - we won't tell!

Ingredients

For the topping:

·       1/2 cup (110 g) salted butter

·       1 cup (200 g) firmly packed golden brown sugar

·       3 tablespoons golden syrub (or light corn syrup)

·       1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)

·       1 cup (120 g) chopped pecans, toasted

For the cake:

·       1 1/2 cups (150 g) sifted cake flour

·       1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

·       1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

·       1/2 cup (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

·       1/4 cup (50 g) firmly packed golden brown sugar

·       2 large eggs

·       2 tablespoon golden syrub

·       2/3 cup (160 g) sour cream

·       1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

·       1/4 tsp Maldon (flaky) sea salt

Method

1. Preheat oven and prepare the pan:

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a 9-in (23-cm) round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Make the topping:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the salted butter. When the butter starts to bubble and turn golden, add the brown sugar and golden syrup.

Decrease the heat to medium and stir until the sugar melts and starts to bubble. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, cook for

3. Minute exactly (set a timer!):

stirring continuously. Be very careful with this timing. (Boiling for more than a minute will result in caramel that will harden on the cake and be difficult to slice.)

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, bourbon, and pecans. Pour immediately into the prepared pan, using a small spatula to spread in an even layer. Set aside.

4. Make the cake batter:

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and finesea salt.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the golden syrup, sour cream, and vanilla.

With a rubber or silicone spatula, fold in the flour mixture by hand just until the batter is combined and no streaks of white remain. Spoon the batter into the pan with the topping, smoothing it evenly with a spatula.

5. Bake the cake:

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Invert the cake and serve:

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. If any bits of caramel or nuts remain in the pan, simply scrape them from the pan and spread them over the cake with a spatula. (Do not scrape once the topping has cooled or else the bits will often become grainy.)

Sprinkle the Maldon sea salt over the top of the cake. Serve the cake warm, cut into thick wedges.