Toscakaka - Swedish Tosca cake

Prepping

1. Line a 23cm/9" round springform tin with parchment paper.
2. Toast the almonds in two batches in a large frying pan until a very light golden brown. Keep the almonds aside in a bowl. Set the pan aside to make the caramel topping in later.
3. Melt the 100g unsalted butter for the cake in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 170℃/338℉/gas mark 3

To make the sponge

1. Add the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Beat at a high speed until light, creamy and thick. This will take about 5 minutes with an electric hand mixer and slightly less time in a stand mixer.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a spatula or large spoon, add ⅓ of the flour to the egg mixture and lightly fold it in, taking care not to knock out the air.
4. Add all the buttermilk and fold it in.
5. Add the second ⅓ of the flour and fold in.
6. Add in all the melted butter from earlier and fold it in.
7. Add the final ⅓ of flour and again, fold it in. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Knock it on the counter three times to get rid of any large air bubbles in the batter.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown, the centre feels firm and a cake tester comes out clean.
10. Temporarily remove the cake from the oven and turn the oven up to 200℃/392℉/gas mark 6.

Make the almond caramel topping

1. Slice the 125g of butter into smaller pieces. It will help it melt faster.
2. Using the same frying pan as earlier, add the butter, light brown sugar, salt and milk. Over a medium-low heat, melt the butter and keep stirring, combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture up to a bubble. Let it cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes. It should get thicker and become a rich caramel colour. Test it by giving it a stir. If it looks like it's 'pulling' away from the sides as you scrape it, it should be ready. Important - Take care not to overcook the caramel. Err on the side of undercooked rather than overcooked, which will instead result in a sticky, unusable caramel. In a large frying pan, this really won't take much longer than 2 minutes at a medium-high heat.
4. Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the flaked, toasted almonds from earlier.
5. Spoon the mixture over the surface of the cake and spread it out equally with the back of a spoon.
6. When the oven's preheated up to 200℃/392℉/gas mark 6, put the cake back in the oven and bake for a further 7-8 minutes until the top is a rich, golden brown.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool inside it's tin for 15 minutes.
8. Using a knife or offset spatula, run it alongside the edge of the cake to release it from the tin.
9. Unbuckle the springform tin and remove the collar. Allow the cake to cool down to room temperature before slicing.