A classic Bakewell is a traditional English tart with a shortcrust pastry base, layer of jam, frangipane & almonds. This is a quick alternative with all the same great taste without the timely process of making pastry.
Bakewell sponge with cherry icing
Ingredients
For the cake
– 170g Butter
– 170g Granulated sugar
– 170g Plain flour
– 1tsp Baking powder
– 3 eggs
– 1.5 tbs Almond favouring
For the icing
– 120g butter
– 240g icing sugar
– 2tbs whole milk
– 2tbs cherry jam
– 1/2 tsp Almond favouring
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Cover the base of your cake tin with baking paper and then grease the rest of the tin with butter – I find the easiest way to do this is by pitting a little butter on a piece of folded kitchen paper and rubbing it around the inside of the tin.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using the back of a spoon. Once the mix is smooth, whisk together the 3 eggs in a separate cup and add the Almond favouring into the eggs, then slowly add the egg whilst mixing. Once the egg is mixed in (it will at this stage look like scrambled eggs), add the flour into the bowl and whisk before placing the mixture into your cake tin.
3. Put the cake into the centre of the oven and do not open the oven door for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes check the cake with a knife, if it is not quote ready yet, put it back into the oven checking it regularly.
4. Once the cake is baked it will need to be completely cool before the icing is added, you can pop it in the fridge to cool it quicker.
5. For the icing, cream together the butter & icing sugar until the mix is smooth and then add the milk and almond favouring, mix well and if the icing is a little too runny, add some more icing sugar.
6. To make it ‘Cherry Bakewell’, add the cherry jam into the icing mix and then spoon it over the top of the cake. Alternatively this works nicely as more of a Victoria sandwich by leaving the jam and icing separate and cutting the cake in two.
Tip – If you find when baking the cake that the outside of the cake is cooking quicker than the inside and it’s ‘wobbly’, cover the cake with tin foil to help it bake more evenly. To check the cake is bakes all the way through, pierce the middle of the cake with a knife, when the knife comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
