First Courses Main Courses Desserts Christmas Baking Veg and Veggie

Cherry cake

Ingredients

  • 200g/7oz glacé cherries
  • 225g/8oz self-raising flour
  • 175g/6oz softened butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 175g/6oz caster sugar
  • 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
  • 50g/1¾oz ground almonds
  • 3 large free-range eggs


FOR THE DECORATION

  • 175g/6oz icing sugar
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • 15g/½oz flaked almonds, toasted
  • 5 glacé cherries, quartered

Equipment

23cm/9in savarin mould or a bundt tin (alternatively use a 20cm/8in round cake tin).

Cherry cake

INTRODUCTION:

A lovely cherry sponge cake with a little extra texture from the ground almonds. Dusting the cherries with flour helps stop them sinking to the bottom of the cake.

  • Less than 30 mins preparation time
  • 30 mins to 1 hour cooking time
  • Serves 10-12

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 23cm/9in bundt tin or savarin mould with butter.

  2. Cut the cherries into quarters. Set aside five of the quartered cherries for the decoration later. Put the rest of the quartered cherries in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper and toss in two tablespoons of the flour.

  3. Measure all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and beat well for two minutes to mix thoroughly. Lightly fold in the cherries. Turn into the prepared tin.

  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until well risen, golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

  5. For the icing, mix the icing sugar together with the lemon juice to a thick paste. Drizzle over the cooled cake using the back of a spoon, sprinkle over the toasted almonds and reserved cherries.