Savarin

Method

1. Sift flour and salt into a large warmed bowl. In a small bowl, cream yeast with sugar, then add warm milk. Make a well in centre of flour and add yeast mixture. Sprinkle a little flour from side over top, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes for yeast to sponge.
2. Beat eggs into butter and add to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously using the hand until all flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a cloth and leave dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. This will take 30–40 minutes.
3. Spoon dough into a well-greased 23 cm savarin mould or ring tin. Allow to rise in a warm place until dough reaches top of tin. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and beginning to shrink a little from sides of mould.
4. To make apricot glaze, heat jam and water in a small saucepan, stirring until blended. Rub through a sieve and cool a little. Stir in orange juice and keep warm.
5. To make syrup, combine water, sugar and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Discard vanilla bean. Stir in Kirsch.
6. Remove savarin from oven and cool in tin for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a cake rack and place a dish under rack to catch any syrup if it runs off cake. Prick savarin with a fine skewer all over and while still hot spoon warm syrup over, a little at a time, until all syrup has been absorbed. Allow savarin to cool.
7. Carefully slide onto a serving dish, brush lightly with apricot glaze and fill centre with fruit sprinkled with sugar and Kirsch.