Date, coffee and ginger cake with cashew brittle

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a deep Bundt tin and line it with baking paper.

Combine the dates, bicarbonate of soda and coffee in a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes to soften, then blend in a food processor until smooth.

Spoon the date mixture into a bowl and mix in the eggs, ginger and vanilla extract.

Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl until light and pale. Mix in the syrup.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and spices into the butter mixture. Using a metal spoon, add the butter mixture to the dates and mix.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

For the icing, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the warm milk and vanilla extract. Stir in the icing sugar until smooth. Let the icing cool but not set. Transfer it to a mixing bowl and whisk until light, fluffy and pale, about 10 minutes. Spread it over the cake (see Cook’s Tips below).

For the brittle, place the sugar, water, syrup and butter in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Brush the sides of the pot down with a wet pastry brush, and cook until hard crack stage is reached, 140°C on a sugar thermometer (see Cook’s Tips below). Stir in the nuts.

Pour the mixture out onto a clean marble or stainlesssteel surface. Spread it out evenly, then cut out heart shapes with a cookie cutter. Let the remaining brittle cool, then chop it into coarse pieces. Decorate the cake with cashew brittle, sugared rosemary and roses.