Recipe: Raspberry, almond and rosemary cake

PUBLISHED: 12:29 14 April 2020

Richard Hughes' moist rasperry frangipane cake (photo: Steve Adams)

Steve Adams 2020 07398 238853

This month’s recipe is a cake that’s simply delicious. It’s become a classic in our house, ideal as a mid-day treat, for an Easter high tea, used as a dessert with a small glass of Vin Santo or, on occasion, you can get away with a slice for breakfast, as long as you have a helping of thick natural yoghurt!

Its also a nod that spring is well and truly on the way and, if you’ve had to cancel your much-anticipated holiday, this is a tasteful tribute to the Italians.

The traditional Simnel cake, a confection that’s an edible reminder of the eleven apostles, (excluding the treacherous Judas of course), is eaten on Mothering Sunday and at Easter.

It’s an almond marzipan and fruit cake combination. This sponge has those flavours, and it’s much, much quicker to make.

The British baking phenomenon shows no sign of abating, with creations getting ever more extravagant, ever more challenging both in technique and flavour, so this is something of an antidote to these complicated recipes and a culinary reminder to keep things simple.

In fact I prefer this cake with a simple cup of tea – there are few more pleasurable combinations!

Richard Hughes is chef director at The Assembly House, Norwich, the location for his award-winning cookery school

richardhughescookeryschool.co.uk | assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk

Ingredients

250g butter

200g ground almonds

50g plain flour

4 eggs

2 level teaspoon baking powder

Zest of a lemon

Sprig of fresh rosemary

200g fresh raspberries

For the Cointreau cream

125ml double cream

25g icing sugar

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10ml Cointreau

Zest of an orange

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C, 160C fan

Makes 1 x 8” shallow cake tin

1. Place the softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl

2. Cream them together until soft and white

3. Add 100g of the ground almonds

4. Add the eggs. Mix well

5. Add the remaining ground almonds and the baking powder and the flour

6. Wash the rosemary and chop

7. Add to the cake mix

8. Grate in the zest of a lemon

9. Mix all the ingredients together

10. Place the raspberries in the bottom of a lightly greased 8’’ loose bottomed cake tin

11. Spoon over the cake mixture. Smooth over to level the top.

12. Tap the base on the worktop to make sure the mixture has settled. Place in a preheated oven at 180C, 160C fan, for approx 40 minutes.

13. Pour the double cream into a mixing bowl and add icing sugar

14. Whisk until thickened

15. Add the Cointreau

16. Grate in the zest of an orange

17. Stir together. Meanwhile, to see if the cake is cooked, insert a small knife into the centre. If it’s clean on withdrawal, remove the cake from the oven. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before inverting, serving with the raspberries on the top