Cherry & Almond Cake
I have adapted this recipe from a madeira sponge – a cake I adore due to its dense but light texture and it’s delicious crust. I have replaced part of the flour with ground almonds, added the almond’s best friend, the cherry, and given it a final almond hit with the amaretto. The result: a soft sponge, with a bit of crunch, juicy cherries and double layer of almondy goodness.
Ingredients
- 50g dried cherries
- 35ml amaretto
- 135g unsalted butter, softened
- 135g golden caster sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 70g plain flour
- 35g self-raising flour
- 60g ground almonds
Method
- Begin by placing the dried cherries in a small bowl and pouring over the amaretto.
- Give the cherries a stir and leave to steep for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to Fan 160°C and grease and line the bottom and sides of a 6″ round cake tin.
- Place the ground almonds in a large bowl and sift the two flours on top.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the eggs, mixing all the time, adding a tablespoon or two of flour if necessary to prevent the mixture from curdling.
- Gently fold in the flour and almonds.
- Finally fold through the amaretto soaked cherries including any amaretto that hasn’t been absorbed.
- Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 1hour – 1hour 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the tin and placing on a cooling rack face up.
- Once the cake is completely cool, dust with icing sugar and serve.
Serves 8
For more cakey treats, visit http://littlebearcakery.blogspot.co.uk/