cooling: 35 minutes
freeze: Yes
250g (9oz) natural colour glacé cherries
100g (3½oz) ground almonds
185g (6½oz) wheat- and gluten-free self-raising flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
200g (7oz) dairy-free spread
200g (7oz) caster sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 white sugar cubes, crushed
equipment
20cm (8 inch) deep cake tin
* Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease the cake tin, then line the base with baking parchment.
* Wash the sticky syrup off the cherries by rinsing them under the tap, then dry and chop into quarters. Mix the cherries with the ground almonds and 1 tablespoon of the flour.
* Sift the remaining flour and xanthan gum into a separate bowl.
* Using a hand-held electric mixer on a high setting, cream the dairy-free spread and sugar together for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
* Gradually add the beaten eggs on a medium speed setting, mixing well between each addition. Don’t worry if the mixture curdles slightly; just turn the mixer setting up to high for a couple of seconds and the mixture will become smooth again.
* Fold in the sifted flour and xanthan gum using a large metal spoon so you don’t knock the air out. Slowly fold in the cherry and ground almond mixture, again using the large metal spoon. Finally, fold in the grated lemon zest and juice.
* Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level out with the back of a dessert spoon. Make a small dip in the middle to stop the cake peaking during baking. Sprinkle the crushed sugar cubes evenly over the mixture.
* Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cake is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin and is golden brown in colour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely on a metal cooling rack.
tip: Always wash the syrup off glacé cherries before using in baking. This stops them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Raspberry, blueberry & lime drizzle cake
This cake is packed full of berries and has a lovely crunchy sugar topping. The limes cut through the sweetness beautifully and make a nice change to lemons.
makes: 16 squares
preparation: 20 minutes
baking: 55 minutes
cooling: 30 minutes
freeze: Yes
for the cake mixture
225g (8oz) dairy-free spread
225g (8oz) golden caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
250g (9oz) wheat- and gluten-free self-raising flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
Pinch of salt
25g (1oz) ground almonds
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
100g (3½oz) raspberries
100g (3½oz) blueberries
for the lime syrup
8 tbsp lime juice (about 4 limes)
140g (5oz) caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 lime
equipment
20cm (8 inch) square tin
* Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease the cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
* In a large mixing bowl, use a hand-held electric mixer on a high speed setting to cream the dairy-free spread and caster sugar together.
* Gradually add the beaten eggs on a medium speed setting, mixing well between each addition. Don’t worry if the mixture curdles slightly; just turn the mixer setting up to high for a couple of seconds and the mixture will become smooth again.
* Fold in the sifted flour, xanthan gum, salt, ground almonds and grated zest using a large metal spoon so you don’t knock the air out. Add the berries and three tablespoons of the lime juice, folding them in carefully to create a lovely dropping consistency.