Kentish Cherry Cake

photo of cherry cake

With the return of Great British Bake Off last night, some kind of baked good was definitely on the agenda. Having ordered Paul Hollywood’s book, British Bakes, last year in a mad frenzy of online book shopping, I was yet to make anything from it. The book is an exploration of classic regional dishes. Having lived briefly in Kent, I was attracted to the Kentish Cherry Cake. I even managed to source some Kentish cherries. There is something I adore about simple cakes, and no, it’s not because they take less time. I think there is something wonderful about non-frilly, non-iced cakes; they are perfect in their simplicity.

photo of bowl of cherries

This recipe can be made in just over half an hour, which for a cake, is fairly quick.

Not the deepest of cakes, this rather flat cake would make for a lovely afternoon tea cake when something not too indulgent is required. The bite of the cherry comes through well and isn’t overshadowed by sugar. A lovely moist cake, try serving it with a bit of cream with almond and vanilla essence whipped through it. It also goes well at breakfast time with a strong iced coffee as I’ve just discovered.

Ingredients

  • 250g cherries (I did this weight with pips removed, so my cake was more cherry-liscious)
  • 100g softened unsalted butter
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 free range eggs
  • 100g of plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 50g almond meal
  • icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Grease a 20cm round tin (I only have a 23cm tin, so hence why my cake was a bit flatter).
  2. Cut the cherries in half and remove the pips. Pat dry and set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  4. Sift the flour and baking powder and fold through the batter. Add the almond meal and 3/4 of the cherries and fold through.
  5. Place the remaining cherries on top of the cake, poking down into the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes and then dust with icing sugar. Serve with cream, ice-cream or by itself with a cup of tea.

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