Modern anzac cake

Takes 1 hour 15 minutes, serves 12. This recipe is created from the basics of the original recipe – oats, golden syrup and nuts – with some cocoa to give it a new dimension. This cake is for the child in everyone.

Cake

• 125g butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

• 85g ground almonds

• 3 tbsp cocoa

• ½ cup shredded coconut

• ½ cup chopped dried apricots

• 1½ cups self-raising flour

• 320g traditional sour cream

• ½ cup espresso or strong

• Black coffee (with water as you would drink it)

Topping

• 150ml water

• 1 cup sugar

• 4 tbsp golden syrup

• 80g butter

• 1 cup flaked almonds

• ½ cup shredded coconut

• ½ cup rolled oats

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line a 26cm cake tin.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until thick and pale, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine almonds, cocoa, coconut, chopped apricots and flour.

4. Fold half the flour mixture into the batter with the sour cream and combine gently. Add the remaining flour mixture with the coffee and mix well.

5. Bake for 1 hour until puffed and cooked through.

6. Meanwhile, place the water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently while stirring to dissolve sugar. When the mixture begins to boil, simmer for 10 minutes, brushing sides of the pan with a pastry brush to ensure sugar granules do not stick.

7. When the mixture is pale gold, remove from the heat and stir in the golden syrup, butter, almonds, coconut and rolled oats. Stir thoroughly, returning to the heat if necessary to help you mix well.

8. After the cake has cooked for 1 hour, remove from the oven and pour mixture over the cake, then return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the topping’s set.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen any toffee from the sides of the tin, then remove the cake and cool on a wire rack.