I’m a big fan of a bakewell and an equally big fan of loaf cakes so bring them together and well, it’s just perfection for me! This is a great loaf cake recipe that has a lovely surprise layer of delicious raspberry jam in the centre. I topped mine with a simple almond flavoured icing but some icing sugar and fresh raspberries will make a beautiful finish too.
There’s something quite special about fresh raspberries in baking and I love biting into a slice of cake and finding a gorgeous, fresh raspberry in the middle!
This is a great simple recipe to make and bake but delivers a wow factor every time!
Make sure to grease the tin and to line it with parchment. I like to leave an overhang so I can remove it easily once it’s cooled. Also, leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing it and leaving it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients:
- 150g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 150g ground almonds
- 150g butter, softened
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 50ml milk, room temperature is preferable
- 135g fresh raspberries
- 4 tablespoons of good raspberry jam
Icing:
100g icing sugar, sifted
1/2 – 1 tbsp water (you may need a little more)
1/2 tsp almond extract
25g toasted, flaked almonds
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C, 170C Fan and grease and line a 2lb / 900g loaf tin.
In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder and ground almonds and use a whisk to mix together.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, a little at a time until the whole batter is smooth and everything is combined. Stir in the almond extract.
Next fold in the dry ingredients gently and add the milk. The batter will be smooth with no flour visible. Then carefully add the raspberries and fold them in so you don’t crush them.
Spoon half the batter into the prepared tin. Using a spoon, place dollops of the rapsberry jam over the batter and gently spread it out evenly.
Finally, spoon the remaining batter on the top and gently push it out to cover everything evenly making sure to get into the corners.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes keeping an eye on it. It should rise well and if you insert a skewer into the centre, it will come out clean (you might see a little bit of jam on it but that’s ok – you’re looking for any signs of raw batter).
Remove from the oven and let the cake sit on a wire rack, in the tin for a good 10 minutes before turning it out on a wire rack and letting it cool completely.
Once you’re ready, make the icing by mixing the icing sugar, water and almond extract together until you have a lovely smooth icing that will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You don’t want it to run right off the cake. Drizzle the icing on top and add some toasted flaked almonds and some fresh raspberries for a final flourish!
Make it, Bake it, Love it!
Soraya x