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.
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
- 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).
- Cut the cherries in half and remove the pips. Pat dry and set aside.
- 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.
- Sift the flour and baking powder and fold through the batter. Add the almond meal and 3/4 of the cherries and fold through.
- 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.
- 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.
