Brown butter and almond cake with mulled cider compote and calvados cream

Method

1. Grease a 21cm square cake tin with butter, then dust lightly with flour and line the base with baking paper. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, then bubble briskly until the milk solids sink to the bottom and turn brown and the butter smells biscuity. Remove from the heat, then pour the contents of the pan into a bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk until light and airy, then stir through the brown butter and flour along with the baking powder and ground almonds. Make sure the mixture is smooth. Set aside for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 25 minutes until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and leave to cool for another 30 minutes.
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5. Meanwhile, make the compote. Put all the ingredients into a pan, then cook over a medium heat, stirring often, until soft, golden and sticky. Remove the cinnamon stick and mace, then leave to cool.
6. Stir the calvados and sugar (start with 2 tbsp of each, then add more) into the cream until you’re happy with the flavour, then whip the boozy sweet cream until soft and billowy.
7. Cut the cake into pieces and serve with the compote and cream, dusted with cinnamon, if you like.