Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Rum Glaze And Almond Praline

Preheat oven to 350u0b0F. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan. Dust with a mixture of flour and sugar.
Cream butter and sugar for 5 mins, until very soft and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 tbsp at a time, followed by vanilla extract and rum, if using. Scrape down sides of bowl. Sift together dry ingredients. Add a pinch of salt. Fold into creamed mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Transfer to prepared pan and bake for 45-50 mins, until top of cake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger and cake pulls away from sides of pan.
Let cool on a rack for 10 mins then carefully turn out onto another rack and let cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the almond praline, combine almonds and sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed pan. Place over medium heat and stir gently with a wooden spoon until sugar caramelizes and almonds smell slightly toasted. This will take around 6-7 mins. Transfer to a heavy, lightly oiled baking sheet and spread out in a single layer with a wooden spoon. Let cool until hardened then break into shards and grind to crumbs in a mortar and pestle.
To make the glaze, combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Place over a double boiler until chocolate melts. Stir gently until chocolate and butter are emulsified and glaze is smooth and shiny. Stir in rum, 1 tbsp at a time. Let cool to thicken slightly then spoon over cake.
Before glaze sets, use a spatula to press praline crumbs against lower sides of cake.