SUNFLOWER SHEET CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
  2. Finely chop the dried fruit or peel.
  3. Place a small saucepan over a low heat and add the sugar, butter and flour, stirring to combine. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then gradually add the crème fraîche.
  4. Take off the heat and stir in the flaked almonds, seeds and dried fruit or peel.
  5. While it’s still warm, use teaspoons to drop little mounds of mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving a few centimetres between each one to allow them room to spread.
  6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool a little on the sheet before cooling on a rack.
  7. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, then, using a spoon, drizzle it over the florentines.
  8. Let the chocolate set completely, before transferring the biscuits to boxes, or wrapping in greaseproof paper and ribbons.

Steps:

• Put the first 5 ingredients into the bowl of your mixer. Mix on low speed for at least 30 seconds to combine.
• Add the softened butter (cut into pieces) mix on low speed just until it looks like coarse sand. The dry ingredients will be moistened/coated by the butter and will stick to together if you press some between two fingers. Don't over-mix or it will turn into a large dough-like ball.
• Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing until blended. 
• Add the vanilla to the 1 cup buttermilk. With the mixer on lowest speed gradually pour into the mixer. Increase the speed to #2 or # 3 (on a KitchenAid mixer). Mix for about 2 minutes, batter will be smooth and fluffy. If you are using a hand mixer rather than a stand mixer, mix a bit longer.
• Mix 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder with 3 to 4 Tablespoons very hot water. Stir until smooth & set aside.
• Put 1 1/2 cups cake batter into a medium sized bowl and stir in the chocolate mixture to create chocolate batter. Set aside.
• Put about a cup of yellow batter into each of the three pans & spread, then add a few dollops of chocolate batter by the spoonful to each of the pans. Swirl with offset spatula or knife (we usually use something about 1/2 inch wide). Add more yellow batter by the spoonful, adding chocolate batter here and there until finished. Swirl this newly added yellow and chocolate. Be careful not to over-swirl- you'll lose the contrasting colors.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then turn out.