Rye, fig and hazelnut cake

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line three 18 cm round cake tins with oil and the base with baking paper

Add the sour cream, oil, coffee, eggs and vanilla paste to a jug and whisk together

Tip the rye flour, self-raising flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, dark brown sugar and salt into a large bowl and mix until combined

Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dried while stirring so you have a thin cake mixture

Divide between the three tins and smooth over with the back of a spoon so it’s even

Bake for 20–25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then tip out onto a cooling rack, top side facing down, as if there’s a slight dome on top gravity will help flatten it slightly. Leave to cool completely

Meanwhile, make the hazelnut buttercream. Fill a small pan with a few centimetres of boiling water and place over a low heat. Put the egg whites and sugar into a large heatproof bowl that fits on top of the saucepan. Put the bowl on top of the saucepan and whisk until the sugar has dissolved; this will take around 2–3 minutes

Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whisk with an electric whisk (or transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment) until you have a thick meringue. Gradually, 1 tbsp at a time, whisk in the butter until you have a fluffy buttercream. Then whisk in the vanilla and hazelnut chocolate spread. It will thicken up considerably once all the butter and chocolate spread has been added. Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag with a large round nozzle

Once cool, level the sponges by slicing a little cake off the top. Place one onto your serving plate or board, securing it down with a little buttercream underneath

Pipe blobs around the circumference of the sponge and then work your way into the middle so it’s completely covered. Sprinkle over a handful of hazelnuts and finely chopped figs. If your kitchen is warm or the buttercream is slightly soft, simply place in the freezer for 10 minutes to slightly set the buttercream. Then, place the next sponge on top. Repeat the process and place the remaining sponge on top

Pipe the same blobs on top of the cake so it’s covered and then sprinkle over the remaining hazelnuts and randomly place the fig quarters on top