Make this moreish cherry cake for afternoon tea or a coffee morning. Made with sweet glacé cherries and crunchy almonds, it won’t last long
Prep:10 mins
200g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin200g golden caster sugar4 eggs2 tsp vanilla extract1 tsp almond extract (optional)75g glacé cherries, patted dry if in syrup, then quartered175g self-raising flour50g ground almonds½ tsp baking powder
STEP 1Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 900g loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and almond extract (if using).STEP 2Toss the cherries with 2 tbsp of the flour in a bowl. Tip the rest of the flour, the ground almonds, baking powder and a pinch of salt into the bowl with the sugar and eggs, and mix until just combined. Fold in the cherries and any remaining flour in the bowl. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth over the top.STEP 3Bake for 50-55 mins, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve as it is, or mix the icing sugar with the extract and enough milk to make a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle over the loaf cake, and scatter over the flaked almonds to serve.
