Preheat your oven to 180°C bake. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

Vanilla Sponge Cake: Add the egg yolks and ½ cup of the caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for about 5 minutes, until light, fluffy and pale in colour. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

Sieve the flour, baking powder, and salt into the egg yolk mixture and whisk on slow speed, until JUST combined. Add the milk and the melted butter and whisk again on slow speed, until JUST combined. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and continue to whisk on high speed for a further 2-3 minutes, until it forms a glossy meringue.

Gently fold the meringue into the cake batter in two batches, folding gently after each additional until everything is just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and spread out into an even layer. Bake on the lower middle oven rack for about 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden, risen and springs back to the touch.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before poking the cake all over with a skewer or fork.

Milk Soak: Whisk all of the milk soak ingredients together in a medium bowl or jug, along with a pinch of salt. Pour the soak slowly over the top of the cake while it is still warm out of the oven.

Set aside to cool completely in the tin, before turning out onto a serving plate.

Crème Brûlée Icing: Add the icing sugar, cream cheese and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.

Assembly: Spread the icing over the top of the cooled cake, creating swoops and swirls in the icing with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle the caster sugar evenly over the surface of the icing in an even layer.

Using a blow-torch on high, blow torch the sugar on top of the icing, until very golden brown and caramelised.

Decorate the cake as desired with berries and edible flowers. Crack the brulee on top with the back of a spoon in several places, before slicing.

Store the cake in the fridge (or covered at room temperature if it is the winter).