If you like bakewell tart, you’ll love this quick and easy cake.
This all-in-one cake is super easy to make and decorate. I love how you just mix all the cake ingredients and go and the icing is a doddle too.
I like to sandwich this with cherry jam for maximum bakewell effect but if you can’t find any, raspberry jam or even lemon butter will work too!
I actually first made this cake for my hairdresser Heather’s birthday. In between hair appointments, we like to host Heather for dinner although isolation kind of cramped our style. Once restrictions were lifted, we made a date in our diary which was almost but not quite on Heather’s birthday.
I knew I’d have to make a cake because everyone knows a (nearly) birthday dinner without cake is just a meeting. This cake ticked all the boxes because it’s quick, easy, delicious and would be a cheeky little nod to our shared British heritage.
Talking of shared British heritage, none of us have lost our British accents and we sound like we’ve just stepped off the boat. Weirdly enough after 12 years of living down under, Australians tell me how British I sound yet when I go back to the UK, everyone thinks I have an Aussie accent. Go figure!
Wherever you come from or whatever your accent, I think you’ll love this cake. The sponge is lovely and light and the fruitiness of the jam really cuts through the almond flavour.
If you want to make a real statement with this as a celebration cake, make 2 seperate batches and stack and sandwich all four cakes together to make a supersize bakewell cake. Because sometimes size does matter!
Do you have an accent? Are you a fan of bakewell tart?
Serves 8
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
100g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon almond essence
4 large eggs
FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING
1/2 jar cherry or raspberry jam
175g icing sugar
5-6 teaspoons water or lemon juice
1 tablespoon flaked almonds, toasted
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking paper.
- With an electric mixer or beaters mix all the cake ingredients together with a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the 2 tins and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. .
- Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When completely cool, put one sponge on a serving plate and spread with jam. Place the other cake on top.
- Sieve the icing sugar and slowly add the water or lemon juice until the icing is smooth and thick. Allow the icing to dribble over the sides and scatter the toasted almonds on top. Allow to set for a few minutes before cutting.
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking paper.
- Place all the cake ingredients together with a pinch of salt in TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5. Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Mix again for another 10-20 seconds on speed 4, until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the 2 tins and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When completely cool, put one sponge on a serving plate and spread with jam. Place the other cake on top.
- Sieve the icing sugar and slowly add the water or lemon juice until the icing is smooth and thick. Allow the icing to dribble over the sides and scatter the toasted almonds on top. Allow to set for a few minutes before cutting.
