Spiced Bundt Cake With Pumpkin Praline

Just as Mother's Day approaches, Flora serves up another delightful creation with which to celebrate: a Spiced Bundt Cake with Pumpkin Praline. With each slice, indulge in the warmth of aromatic spices and the sweet crunch of pumpkin praline — a perfect tribute to the special women in our lives. Join us as we bake up some love and appreciation this season...

Ingredients

50g boiling water
2 tea bags (I used english breakfast)
250g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp mixed spice
4 eggs
350g milk
350g self raising flour

For the praline:
100g caster sugar
50g pumpkin seeds
50g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C FAN. Melt a little of the extra butter and use a pastry brush to paint the butter all around the inside of your bundt tin, making sure to get into all the corners. Add a little extra self raising flour and tilt and tap around the tin to cover. Tip upside down to get rid of any excess.

Place the tea bags in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water. Allow to steep for 15 minutes.

In the bowl of a freestanding mixer beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the spices, eggs, milk and flour. Squeeze any excess liquid from the tea bags and add the tea to the bowl also. Mix on a medium speed until everything has been incorporated.

Pour into the prepared bundt tin and bake for 45 minutes - or until a knife comes out the centre clean.

Allow to stand for 15 minutes before placing a cooling rack on top and flipping over to turn out the cake.
Allow to cool completely.

Place the almonds and the pumpkin seeds in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until golden and fragrant.

For the praline heat the sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium high heat. When the edges begin to melt and caramelise, slightly tilt the pan to spread the sugar evenly. Continue to do this until your sugar has turned an even golden brown colour.

Working quickly, remove from the heat, then pour in the toasted nuts and seeds. Stir together then spoon onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Place another sheet of greaseproof on top (being careful as it's very hot) then quickly roll flat using a rolling pin. Get the praline as thin as possible with the nuts and allow to cool completely. Once set you can break into small chunks or shards for serving.

To serve, dust the bundt cake with icing sugar. Serve slices of the cake with a good dollop of yoghurt and a little shard of the praline.

The praline will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks and the cake will keep in an airtight container for up to five days.