The original recipe for this almond and apricot cake can be found here.

Ingredients

230g fresh apricots, chopped (or a drained 411g tin if they aren’t in season)

200g unsalted butter

200g golden caster sugar

3 large eggs

75g ground almonds

1 tsp almond extract

200g self raising flour

A handful of flaked almonds to decorate

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160 C /140 C fan / Gas 2/3. Line a deep loose bottomed 20cm (8 in) cake tin with baking parchment.

2. Drain the tinned apricots in a colander (see tip) and cut the drained apricots into pieces and keep to one side.

3. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat the eggs into the mix one at a time with an electric whisk. Stir in the ground almonds and the almond extract. Then sift the flour onto the mixture and fold in thoroughly. Gently fold in the reserved apricots.

4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, and smooth the top, pushing down any apricot pieces that appear on the surface. Sprinkle the top with the flaked almonds and press slightly to flatten.

5. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Test with a skewer inserted into the cake to ensure it is cooked. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is cooked, otherwise give it a further 5 or 10 minutes until done. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the tin.

6. Place on a cooling rack and when completely cool remove the parchment.

This cake is delicious served on its own, or with cream or ice cream. Why not try custard on a chilly day?! Yum!

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I’ve had a few recipes saved up for the time when we don’t have a kitchen, and this recipe for chocolate and salted caramel squares is one of them. I apologise if you’re trying to be healthy there are some links to healthier things at the bottom of this post! The original title of this recipe (which I found on the BBC website) is ‘Salted chocolate and caramel squares’ – but as you can see, I’ve changed it slightly as it makes far more sense to me this way around! Whatever you decide to call them, this is a delicious twist on the traditional millionaire’s shortbread and the almonds and vanilla in the base are simply delicious. The caramel here is fairly runny and I could not get it to thicken up, so next time I make it I might use the recipe that I use for millionnaire’s flapjack with the addition of some salt. But if you prefer your caramel slightly thinner, this works just fine (and it tastes delicious anyway!).

Chocolate and salted caramel squares: ingredients

For the base
2 tbsp butter, for greasing
175g/6oz plain flour
25g/1oz cornflour
50g/2oz golden caster sugar
85g/3oz finely chopped toasted almonds
140g/5oz unsalted butter
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

For the caramel
225g/8oz golden caster sugar
100ml/3½fl oz water
150ml/5fl oz single cream
50g/2oz butter, cubed
½ tsp salt

For the topping
225g/9oz dark chocolate, 70 per cent cocoa solids
85g/3oz butter

Method

1. For the base, preheat the oven to 160C/310F/Gas 3. Grease a 20cm x 23cm/8in x 9in baking tin with butter.

2. Sift the flour, cornflour and sugar into a large bowl. Stir in the almonds, then rub in the butter and vanilla seeds.

3. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared tin. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool.

4. For the caramel, place the sugar and water into a heavy-based pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until it turns dark amber.

5. Stir in the cream, taking care as it will bubble up. Stir in the butter and salt. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and leave to cool (I put it in the fridge overnight, but a few hours would do it).

6. For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the caramel and smooth out with a wet palette knife.

7. Place into the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm. Cut into 16 pieces and serve.

Post updated 2nd October 2020.

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Ingredients

For the curd

500g fresh raspberries
4 tablespoons water

4 eggs
12oz (350g) golden caster sugar
8oz (225g) unsalted butter, left at room temperature and cut into small cubes
1 level dessert spoon of cornflour

For the cake (for two 20cm/8in diameter cake tins):

300g butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
300g caster sugar
4 eggs
A few drops (not more than 1/4 teaspoon) of almond essence or extract
100ml milk
300g self-raising flour, sifted
300g ground almonds
300g fresh or frozen (and defrosted) raspberries
50g flaked almonds
Icing sugar and a little water to make some water icing

For the buttercream (if not using fresh cream)

250g icing sugar, sifted (plus extra for dusting)

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

25ml semi skimmed milk

A tiny drop of almond extract
 

Method

To make the curd

1. Put the water and berries in a large pan and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pot and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes or until very soft.

2. Place into a food processor or blender and whizz up very very well. Take care here because the fruit is really hot! Once blended, pour through a fine sieve with a bowl underneath, making sure there are no seeds in the bowl. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before moving on to step 3 – otherwise you may end up scrambling the eggs by mistake!

3. Whisk the eggs in a medium sized pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. Place on a medium heat and whisk continuously with a balloon whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. This takes about 7-8 minutes.

4. Next, lower the heat and let the curd simmer for another minute, continuing to whisk. Pour the curd into the hot, sterilised jars – fill them up as full as you can, and cover with wax disks and seal them quickly.

5. When the jars have cooled, label and store in a cool place.

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4, then butter the sides of the cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.

2. Cream the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Whisk the eggs and the almond essence or extract together in a small bowl for a few seconds or until just combined, then gradually add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Next beat in the milk, then add the flour and ground almonds, carefully folding these in until they are just mixed.

4. Next add the raspberries and fold in gently so as not to break them up too much. Tip the batter into the prepared tin, then scatter the flaked almonds over just one of the cakes. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use a small sharp knife to loosen the edges, the carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely.

6. As the cakes cool, make the buttercream by creaming together the butter and icing sugar. Add the milk and almond extract and beat until smooth. Place the bottom cake on a serving plate and then spread a few dessert spoons of the raspberry curd over the top. Then spread your buttercream or cream over that before placing the other cake on top.

7. Mix a small amount of water icing so that it is thick enough to pipe. Fill a piping bag with a small-ish nozzle and then pipe lines across the cake, like on the top of a Bakewell tart (no need to worry about precision piping here!). If serving later, you may need to chill it in the fridge, and remove a little while before serving.

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

125g self raising flour
50g ground almonds
100g butter, cubed
100g light muscovado sugar
150g runny honey
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 medium eggs, beaten
25g flaked almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 28 x 17cm tin.

2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the ground almonds. Place the butter, sugar and honey together in a small pan and heat gently until completely melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.

3. Add the melted ingredients to the bowl and add the banana and beaten eggs. Beat well to give a smooth mixture before pouring into the prepared tin.

4. Level the surface and scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and firm to touch.

5. Turn onto a wire rack to cool and then cut into pieces.

This mixture makes excellent muffins as well as cake pieces. Enjoy with a cuppa!

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Ingredients

(for a 20cm/8in diameter cake tin)

150g butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
A few drops (not more than 1/8 teaspoon) of almond essence or extract
50ml milk
150g self-raising flour, sifted
150g ground almonds
150g fresh or frozen (and defrosted) raspberries
25g flaked almonds
Icing sugar for dusting
Whipped cream and raspberries to decorate (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4, then butter the sides of the cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.

2. Cream the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Whisk the eggs and the almond essence or extract together in a small bowl for a few seconds or until just combined, then gradually add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Next beat in the milk, then add the flour and ground almonds, carefully folding these in until they are just mixed.

4. Next add the raspberries and fold in gently so as not to break them up too much. Tip the batter into the prepared tin, then scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use a small sharp knife to loosen the edges, the carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to a serving plate.

6. Dust with icing sugar (as you can see, I forgot that bit!), and you could serve with softly whipped cream and decorate with fresh raspberries. And don’t forget to enjoy with a cuppa!

Post updated 28th September 2016.

If you want to make an extra special version of this delicious cake, check out my recipe for Bakewell cake with raspberry curd filling – just click on the link below to find the recipe

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Last week we had a pre-birthday celebration for our lovely friend Hannah, and everyone brought something along to contribute to the meal. We were set the challenge of making a birthday cake – but what sort of cake do you make for the person who made you the most amazing wedding cake?! So we decided to go for a super-chocolatey cake, but found two recipes that we liked. Tom was in charge of cake making and went for a combination of the two recipes: the first was by Rachel Allen and the second was from The Cooking Ninja blog. I was in charge of the frosting, and this originally comes from a Mary Berry recipe that we also found on the BBC Food website. You’ll need to use a 21cm loose bottomed cake tin, lined on the bottom and buttered on the sides – best to get this ready before you start!

Ingredients

250g good quality dark chocolate (we used Green & Black’s 70%)
210g butter
250g caster sugar
5 eggs
75g ground almonds
50g flaked almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

For the frosting
200g white chocolate (the Green and Black’s white chocolate works really well!)
150ml double cream
125g whole fat cream cheese

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Toast the flaked almonds a little in a pan.

2. Melt the dark chocolate and the butter in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Separate the eggs; beat the yolks together with the sugar and the cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Beat the egg whites in another bowl, together with a pinch of salt, until you have stiff peaks.

4. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, add them to the yolks, sugar and cinnamon mixture, along with the ground and toasted flaked almonds. Mix well before folding in the egg whites.

5. Bake for around 45 minutes and then leave to cool in the tin.

6. For the icing, break the white chocolate into a bowl. Heat the double cream in a pan, until very hot but not boiling and pour the hot cream over the white chocolate to melt it. Stir until melted and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

7. Spoon the cream cheese into a bowl then gradually add the white chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Set aside to cool a little, until thick enough to ice.

8. Spread the icing over the top and sides of the cake. I sprinkled some white chocolate stars over the top to make it look extra special.

This is a really rich and indulgent cake – if you’ve got a sweet tooth like me then you’ll love it! Enjoy!

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Ingredients

2 large oranges
1 tsp butter
1 tsp plain flour
6 free-range eggs
250g/9oz ground almonds
250g/9oz caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder

Method

1. Wash the oranges thoroughly. Bring them to the boil in a large saucepan of water and gently cook for two hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 175C/325F/Gas 3 and butter and flour a 23cm/9in cake tin.

3. Leave the oranges to cool, before slicing in quarters and removing the pips. Pulp the oranges (including the peel) in a food processor.

4. Beat the eggs and gradually stir in all the remaining ingredients, including the orange pulp. Pour into the cake tin and cook for about an hour, until the cake is golden in colour and has risen.

5. Transfer to a wire cooling rack, keeping the cake in the tin. When the cake has cooled, carefully remove from the tin and serve cut into slices. Enjoy!

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