Cherry Crumble Cake

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INGREDIENTS

Serves 6-8

CRUMBLE MIXTURE:

200g Plain flour

100g Ground almonds

200g Butter (Must be refrigerated)

100g Demerara sugar

CAKE:

200g baking fat (stork SB – must be refrigerated)

200g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

2 teaspoons Almond extract

200g self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tin of Cherry Pie filling (or jar of cherry jam)

100g Marzipan (can be either the yellow one or the natural coloured one- it doesn’t matter)

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4
  2. Line and grease 2 x 20cm/8” spring form cake tins (The tins MUST be spring form or at least loose bottomed because the cake cannot be turned out upside-down once cooked …. Remember the crumble topping!!!)

For the Crumble:

  1. Make the crumble first, by putting butter and flour into food processor and using the blade attachment, process the mixture until fine breadcrumbs are created.
  2. Then process a bit more until the crumbs start to come together to form clumps, this should take no more that 30 seconds.
  3. Stop at this point as any further action will form short crust pastry and we don’t want that!
  4. Add the Demerara sugar to the crumble and mix by hand
  5. Leave mixture to one side whilst the rest of the cake components are prepared. If it is a hot day, store the crumble in the fridge or freezer until needed.

 

Note: This crumble mixture can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for up to three months.

 

For the cake:

  1. Beat the baking fat and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the eggs and almond essence into the fat/sugar mixture, loosening the mixture. (if mixture splits, a table spoon of flour should stop this)
  3. Sift in the flour and baking powder.
  4. Fold in carefully using a large spoon or spatula.
  5. Thoroughly incorporate the flour into the mixture ensuring no pockets of flour remain.
  6. The cake is now ready to be assembled

Putting the cake together:

  1. Divide the cake mixture equally into the two baking tins and level out
  2. Add 3 tablespoons of cherry pie filling or Jam  on top of the cake batter and lightly swirl cherry filling around the cake batter and level out.
  3. Scatter 1cm cubes of marzipan around the top of the cake and poke into the batter even amounts for both cakes
  4. Finally, divide the crumble mix equally between the two tins and put on top of the Cherry filling.
  5. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven at 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 for 35 minutes
  6. After 35 minutes, check the cake is cooked through by inserting a skewer in the middle. The skewer should come out clean. If it doesn’t, put cake in for another 10 minutes and check again.
  7. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven.
  8. Allow the cakes to cool slightly before releasing from its tins.
  9. Cool cakes on cooling rack
  10. Decorate the top of the lower tier by drizzling lightly with extra cherry filling/jam.
  11. Put the upper tier on top of the 1st cake and decorate by dusting lightly with icing sugar.
  12. Serve warm with custard or cream or ice-cream (or all three)
  13. Cake can be stored refrigerated (due to fruit content) in an airtight tin for up to a week.