Crunchy Almond & Raspberry Cake
This recipe for Crunchy Almond & Raspberry Cake (with dark chocolate) is my version of a Waitrose recipe card that I picked up whilst shopping several months ago. Spurred on by the Great British Bake Off I have now managed to gather all of the ingredients in the right place at the right time to bake this gorgeous confection.
INGREDIENTS
- 175g butter, at room temperature
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 150g self-raising flour
- 75g ground almonds
- 150g Doria Amaretti Biscuits, crumbled
- 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 200g raspberries
- Mascarpone, cream or ice cream to serve
METHOD
- Grease and base line a 20cm, loose-bottomed cake tin. Preheat oven to 160°C, gas mark 3.
- Using electric beaters, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and almonds until smooth and creamy. (In the words of the GBBO don’t overwork the mixture!).
- Carefully fold in two-thirds each of the crumbled biscuits, chopped chocolate and raspberries, and spoon into the prepared tin.
- Scatter the remaining crumbled biscuits, chopped chocolate and raspberries on top.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes or until risen, golden brown and set. (I cooked mine for 65 minutes at 150°C in a fan assisted oven).
- Leave to sit in the tin for 5 minutes then lift out and leave to cool completely.
- Slice and serve with a spoonful of mascarpone, cream or ice cream.
- Any leftovers should be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days and are delicious served chilled. Alternatively, warm in microwave and serve with cream or ice cream and a glass of Disaronno.
TIPS
- Serves 8
- Preparation time 20 mins
- Use a rolling pin to crumble biscuits in a medium/large plastic bag
- Frozen raspberries can be used but thaw thoroughly and drain excess liquid
- Use a clean metal skewer to check if cake is cooked; insert in centre of cooked cake and if it comes out clean then cake is ready.
- Sprinkle cooled cake with a little icing sugar for seasonal look
- Equally good as a cake or dessert
I loved this cake with its lovely almond flavour, fresh raspberries, and semi-melted chunks of chocolate. Next time I make it I am going to experiment replacing the dark chocolate with white chocolate as I think this will compliment the raspberries even more. Wish me luck and let me know how you think this recipe might be taken to the next level!
For more Waitrose recipes visit http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes.html
