Dessert
British
heavy
Nutty
Fruity
Learn how to prepare this delicious recipe with a step-by-step video tutorial.
Ingredients
- - Almonds : 100g
- - Butter : 180g
- - Muscovado Sugar : 180g
- - Orange : Zest of 1
- - Apricot Jam : 3 tbs
- - Plain Flour : 225g
- - Baking Powder : 1 tsp
- - Eggs : 3 Large
- - Ground Almonds : 100g
- - Milk : 2 tbs
- - Dried Fruit : 500g
- - Glace Cherry : 100g
- - Milk : 1 tbs
- - Caster Sugar : 2 tsp
Instructions
1 - Put the almonds into a small bowl and pour over boiling water to just cover.
2 - Leave for 5 mins then drain in a sieve and leave to dry.
3 - Preheat the oven to 180C/160 C fan/Gas Mark 4.
4 - Line a deep loose-based 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
5 - Put the butter in a large bowl and beat well until soft.
6 - Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
7 - Stir in the orange zest and apricot jam.
8 - Sieve together the flour and baking powder.
9 - Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, a little at a time, beating well between each addition.
10 - If the mixture starts to curdle, stir in a little flour.
11 - Add the remaining flour and ground almonds and mix well.
12 - Mix in the milk and then add the dried fruit and cherries and mix gently together.
13 - Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread level using the back of a spoon.
14 - Arrange the whole almonds close together in neat circles on the top of the cake.
15 - Bake in the oven for 45 mins.
16 - Lower the oven temperature to 160C/140 C fan/Gas Mark 3 and cook for a further 60–80 minutes.
17 - Check the cake after 50 minutes by inserting a wooden or metal skewer into the cake.
18 - When it’s done it should have just a few crumbs attached.
19 - Check every 10 minutes - it’s important not to overcook this cake so the centre will be a little soft.
20 - When cooked, remove the cake briefly from the oven, put the milk and sugar into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
21 - Brush over the top of the cake and return the cake to the oven for 2-3 mins.
22 - Remove and allow the cake to cool in the tin.
23 - When quite cold remove from the tin and wrap in foil and keep for at least 2 days before cutting.
