Cherry & Almond Cake

Cakey goodness. (photo by Clare)

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

  1. Begin by placing the dried cherries in a small bowl and pouring over the amaretto.
  2. Give the cherries a stir and leave to steep for at least an hour.
  3. Preheat the oven to Fan 160°C and grease and line the bottom and sides of a 6″ round cake tin.
  4. Place the ground almonds in a large bowl and sift the two flours on top.
  5. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  6. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  7. Gradually add the eggs, mixing all the time, adding a tablespoon or two of flour if necessary to prevent the mixture from curdling.
  8. Gently fold in the flour and almonds.
  9. Finally fold through the amaretto soaked cherries including any amaretto that hasn’t been absorbed.
  10. 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.
  11. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the tin and placing on a cooling rack face up.
  12. Once the cake is completely cool, dust with icing sugar and serve.
Serves 8
For more cakey treats, visit http://littlebearcakery.blogspot.co.uk/

littlebearcakery

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