Cherry Bakewell Bundt
Enjoy the favourite flavours of cherry bakewell in the form of a stunning bundt cake. This cake is very easy to make at home and keeps well in an airtight container. A delicious addition to any afternoon cup of tea or occasion.
From the book
Stirring Slowly: Recipes to Restore and Revive
Hearty comfort food to bring joy
Inspiring home-cooked food with global flavours
Beautiful and accomplished bakes
Introduction
This familiar-flavoured cake has become a bit of a hit with our (small) book team, who single-handedly polished off the entire thing in a day. It is subtle in flavour and has a wonderfully smooth texture. It also keeps really well for a few days when stored in a cake tin/airtight container, which is always a winner; stale cakes are upsetting. So, this is for Isla and Kendal and Laura, who seem to love this cake more than anything else.
Ingredients
| 250g | unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing |
| 350g | plain flour, plus extra for the tin |
| 150g | fresh cherries |
| 75g | maraschino cherries, or glace cherries |
| 500g | caster sugar |
| 6 | large eggs |
| ½ tsp | good-quality almond extract |
| ¼ tsp | fine salt |
| 2 tsp | baking powder |
| 300ml | milk |
| 75g | ground almonds |
| 2 tbsp | flaked almonds |
| 200g | icing sugar |
| 2 tbsp | amaretto (or just use water) |
Essential kit
You will need a bundt tin
Method
Start by preheating your oven to 180c/gas 4. Grease your bundt tin with butter (I use a pastry brush to get into all the nooks and crannies), then liberally dust with flour and shake out the excess.
Remove the stones from the fresh cherries, blitz in a food processor with the maraschino cherries until you have a puree, then leave to one side. In a free-standing mixer, or by hands using some elbow grease, beat together the butter and sugar until it is pale and light. Gradually beat in the eggs, followed by the almond extract and salt. Beat in half the flour and baking powder, just enough to combine, followed by the milk. Gently fold in the remaining flour and baking powder with a large metal spoon, and finish by folding in the ground almonds.
Spoon one third of the cake mixture into your bundt tin, then evenly spoon over a third of the cherry puree, gently rippling it into the batter. Repeat twice, so both mixtures are used up, then pop the tin into the oven and bake for around 50 minutes – 1 hour, until your cake is golden and cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, scatter the almonds on a baking tray and pop them into the oven for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Leave to one side to cool. When you are ready to decorate, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in just enough amaretto to make a thick icing. Drizzle it over the cake and scatter over the toasted almond flakes.
