Instructions: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

1 Place the butter, sugar and syrup in a small pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Slice the cake and place in a small ovenproof dish. Drizzle over the brandy.

2 Stir the cream and nuts into the pan, then pour the sauce over the cake and pop into the oven for 10 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve.

3 For the lemon variation: Make a sauce by heating together 150g carton double cream and 2 tbsp lemon curd. Crumble Madeira cake into the dish and pour over the sauce; cook as before.

Tips

Try variations with other curds such as lime or orange curd. Make ahead and heat up when you need it.

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