My Cherry and Almond cake

Directions

Preparation – Drain the cherries, reserve some liquid – Process them to a pulp and sieve out any extra liquid – Weigh out the butter and soften – Weigh out the other main ingredients – Grease and line two 20cm/8″ loose-bottomed round cake tins – Lightly dust inside tins with flour – Put oven on to heat to 170 degrees C/Gas 3 (fan oven 150C)

1. Beat the butter on its own for a few minutes, then add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy.
2. Into another bowl, sieve the flour and baking powder then mix lightly. Stir in the ground almonds.
3. Add the eggs to the butter/sugar mixture, one at a time, while beating. (Add small amounts of the pre-weighed flour along the way to avoid curdling.)
4. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, followed by the cherry pulp. (reserve about 50g for the filling) Continue mixing to fully incorporate.
5. Add the flour/ground almond mixture in 2 – 3 stages. Fold in until fully mixed.
6. Stir in the flaked almonds.
7. Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into the two prepared tins. Level the surfaces and bake for around 35 minutes.
8. Once baked, cool for 10 minutes in the tins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
9. While the cakes are cooling make the filling and topping. Lightly whip the cream cheese until it’s smooth.
10. Sieve the icing sugar into the cream cheese and beat them both together. Add the cream and continue beating until a suitable consistency is achieved.
11. Put about half the mixture into another bowl and mix in the reserved cherry pulp. For a nice pink colour add in a small amount of the reserved liquid, taking care not to thin the overall mix too much.
12. Spread an even layer of cherry jam on the top of the lower cake then add the cherry pulp/cream mixture to fill and then combine the two cakes.
13. Cover the top of the cake with the uncoloured cream mixture and decorate with any attractive combination of almonds and/or cherries.
NB During the above assembly procedure you may need to pop the cake into the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes to keep it firm.