Twelfth Night cake

Method

1. Set the oven to hot, gas mark 7 or 220°C. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolk and rum and then stir in the ground almonds.
2. Cut the pastry in half and roll each piece out and cut out a 25cm (10in) circle from each. Roll out the trimmings and cut out several long strips about 1cm (½ in) wide. Place one circle on a baking sheet. Brush water around the outside edge of the circle, and then lay the strips in a single layer around the edge to form a border to help stop the filling from running out.
3. Spread the filling in the centre, and stick the almond into the filling. Brush water around the strips of pastry and then place the second circle of pastry on the top - press the edges down well. Pattern the edge by pressing down with a finger, and then cutting into the edge with a knife.
4. Make a small hole in the centre of the pastry, then use the point of a small sharp knife to make semi-circular lines from the centre out to the edge of the pastry.
5. Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for about 30 mins, or until the pastry has risen and is an even golden colour. Remove the cake from the oven and dust icing sugar over it and then return it to the oven for a further 5-10 mins or until the sugar has melted. Serve the cake warm or cold, with the crown on the top. (Not suitable for freezing.)

Extra info: Twelfth night marks the end of Christmas festivities and Epiphany with the arrival of the Kings. One traditional way to celebrate this is to have the Twelfth Night cake which contains a bean - and whoever finds the bean gets to wear the crown and be king or queen!Top tip: We've adapted the bean idea to include one whole almond in the cake - because the filling of this pastry is ground almonds, it seems appropriate to include a whole blanched almond rather than a bean. You can make a crown from gold card for the king or queen to wear!

By Feature: Sue McMahon. Photos: www.frankthephotographer.com. Props stylist: Sue Radcliffe