Here’s a cake that tastes good, is easy to make and yet looks rather* impressive.

* For anyone not familiar with English understatement “rather” means “very”.

Makes: About 10 medium slices

Time: Preparation: 30 minutes; baking: 75 Minutes

Level: Easy

Need: A 20cm/8” round loose bottomed cake tin with reasonably high sides

Ingredients

175g/6oz softened butter or baking spread such as “Stork”
100g/4oz plain flour
100g/4oz self-raising flour
Pinch of fine salt
175g/6oz caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
A few drops of raspberry flavouring (optional)
45ml/1½fl oz milk
60g/2oz flaked almonds
45g/1½oz ground almonds
200g/8oz raspberries (fresh or frozen)
A small amount of red food colouring

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C / Fan 140°C / 325°F / Gas3. Butter and line the base of the tin with baking parchment*. (If your tin lacks height then line the inside too, with the parchment coming above the sides).

*N.B. As shown here, an alternative is to use a preformed liner. These are very convenient, especially if – like me – you intend giving the cake as a present

2. Sift and weigh the flours and salt into a bowl and set aside.

3. Beat the softened butter until smooth then add the sugar and beat some more. Add the eggs one at a time with a little of the weighed flour and beat well each time. Stir in the vanilla extract and raspberry flavouring (if using).

4. Crumble in most of the almonds, but keep a few to scatter over the cake later.

5. Stir in the milk then fold in the sifted flours, salt and ground almonds.

6. Gently stir in most of the raspberries. (Keep back 9 or 10)

7. Put about a quarter of the mixture in another bowl and stir in a little of the red colouring.

8. Put a large “dollop” of uncoloured mixture in the tin, followed by a smaller red “dollop”. Gently stir with a fork, chopstick or other suitable “tool” and repeat with the rest of the mixtures. Take care not to over stir (unless you want a pink cake.)

9. Bake for 75 minutes, but check at 70. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

I hope you enjoy this lovely cake. If you want more cake recipes click this link, or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes, both sweet and savoury. Here are a few that I’d love you to try:

Date and Walnut Challenge Cake