Raspberry Bakewell Cake

I love Summer. I mean I reallyreally adore it. Winter definitely has it's positives, there is little more comforting than snuggling up in front of the fire in the living room on a nippy evening, munching on toasted marshmallows or chestnuts, but when Summer comes around everyone seems to walk around with such a happier outlook on life. People in the street just seem...smiley! And one of the BEST things about Summer to me is berries. If I had to choose between a life devoid of fruit or a life without sweet treats, I'm afraid I would have to give up the sugary sweets (but lets not even think about this as ever being a possibility)

I get through an obscene amount of berries in these few months, it's an expensive addiction, but I very rarely bake with them because, in all honesty, I eat them before they get a chance to be made into something else! But this time I saw a recipe I fancied and, determined to make it come to life, bought the berries especially (I hope you appreciate the self discipline required for the one night they were sat in the refrigerator)

The bakewell tart is a classic English creation and this cake is it's spongey cousin. The cake itself is a dreaaammmm. I have NEVER had a cake that most literally melts in your mouth like this one does, that was in fact the first thing my mum said about it, and it really does. It is so soft and moist, the topping is lightly crisp and it is absolutely jam packed with raspberries, just check how many it calls for! That was the winning factor when it came to trying out this recipe, and boy am I glad i did :) The batter is quite thick so the berries don't sink whilst baking. It is really rather pretty in its understated way, and is a lovely tea time cake whilst being attractive enough for gifting too I think. One thing I discovered is it makes a wonnderrfulll dessert, please if you make it (which you so so should!) try it warm with some freshly whipped cream or ice cream if thats how you roll....dangerously good

Here's the recipe, if you have a food processor it is the easiest cake you could everever make, and is pretty darn simple even if you don't! I truly can't think of any improvements for it, bake a little Summer into your life today :)

Raspberry Bakewell Cake

Barely adapted from BBC GoodFood

Makes 1 8inch cake

140g/5oz ground almonds

140g/5oz butter, softened

140g/5oz golden caster sugar*

140g/5oz self-raising flour

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

250g/9oz raspberries

2 Tbsp flaked almonds

icing sugar, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C, line and/or grease a 20cm/8inch loose bottomed cake tin

Whizz together the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla in a food processor until completely combined **

Spread half the mix evenly in the cake tin, scatter the raspberries over

Dollop the remaining batter on top and roughly spread (can use fingers if you find it easier)

Scatter the flaked almonds on top and bake for 50minutes until golden ***

Cool, remove from the tin, dust with icing sugar to serve

Notes

* I saw this in the shop so bought it, but normal white caster sugar would work just as well

** I only have a dinky little blitzer and after putting the dry ingredients in saw it blatantly wouldn't all fit! I roughly split the dry mix into 2 and put half in the mixer with one egg, whizzed, removed then repeated with the other half and egg. I then just stirred the 2 together in a bowl to make sure everything was even. It's a pretty hard cake to mess up it seems! (famous last words)

*** Don't stress (like I did!) if you think there is too little batter to cover the top sufficiently, it all works out in the end :) and I recommend making sure the almonds are flattish on top so no edges catch and over-brown

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