Burnt Honey

1. Add ¾ cup honey to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.The honey will bubble, thin out, and turn a dark amber. Don’t push it too far or you’ll cross from burnt to bitter.
2. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup water (it may sputter a little—that’s fine). Set aside to cool.

Prepare for Baking

1. Take 4 pieces of baking paper and trace a 20cm circle onto each (use a cake tin or plate).
2. Line as many baking trays as you have with the prepaired baking paper. The more trays, the faster this will go.

Honey Sponge Batter

6. In a large heat-proof bowl, combine: ¼ cup burnt honey, ¾ cup regular honey, 1 cup sugar, 200g cubed butter.

7. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water).

8. In a small bowl, crack 6 eggs and set aside.

9. In another bowl, mix: 2 1/2 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon.

10. Whisk the honey-butter mixture until melted. 

11. Slowly add your eggs whisking as you go. Wait until the mixture returns to a warm temperature, then whisk in the cinnamon mix. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

12. Sift in 454g of flour in 3 batches, whisking well between each addition until smooth.

Bake The Layers

1. Position your racks in the oven evenly and preheat to 180°C fan forced. Spoon a 1/3 cup of your cake batter into the centre of your baking paper circle and spread with a spatula to fill the circle.

2. Repeat with as many layers as you can bake at once. You should end up with 11 layers total.

3. Bake each batch for 6–7 minutes or until golden and springy. If reusing hot trays, reduce time to 5–6 minutes.

4. Cool slightly, then trim layers using a knife if they’ve spread (or dont if you dont mind rustic). Keep the off-cuts for crumbs.

Make Crumb Coating

19. Take the least attractive layer plus trimmings, break into small pieces and bake again for about 8-10minutes, until dry and deep golden.

20. Cool completely, then blitz into fine crumbs. Set aside.

Dulce de Leche Filling

1. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat: dulce de leche, 1/3 cup burnt honey & pinch of salt. Slowly pour in 1/2cup thickened cream while whisking, until light and fluffy. Chill until ready to use

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Using the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the cream until combined than add your icing sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too runny, continue beating until stiff.

Assemble

1. Place a layer on a cake board or plate. Add a generous scoop of dulce de leche and spread to the edges, then add a scoop of the cream cheese frosting and spread to the edges. Repeat with alternating layers of cake and frosting until the last layer.

2. Smooth the top and sides with remaining frosting. Don’t worry if it’s rustic—that’s the charm.

Finish Her Off

1. Press reserved toasted crumbs into the sides (and top, if you like).

2. Chill overnight to let the layers soften and the flavours meld. Slice thinly and serve cold or at room temp (Daddy likes his served at room temp). Cake will store in the fridge for up to 3 days, and can be made 2 days in advance.

Tips

• You can easily make your own Dulce De Leche. All you need to do is remove the label of a condensed milk tin, submerge in a pot of boiling water and simmer for 2hrs, continuously topping up the water as need to ensure the tin remains submerged.
• If you don’t have any Dulce De Leche on hand, you can sub this for any type of Jam (Boysenberry works especially well).
• If you want to make a larger cake, double your quantities and stack up those layers twice as high.
• You can also make this cake in the square shape if thats easier for you.