COOKING COMPANION
CAKE... T
A piece of
Enjoy every slice - alternative Christmas cakes sure to impress your guests
he traditional fruit cake oſt en divides us, but there is no denying that we all love a piece of cake at Christmas. Why not shake up tradition and try one of our alternative, crowd-pleasing, sponge-based Christmas cakes. You can
guarantee there will be no waste...
BLACKBERRY AND BLUEBERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE
If you are not a fan of heavy dried fruit cakes then try this light almondy sponge cake speckled with blackberries and blueberries.
Serves 8
FOR THE SPONGE 175g mixed blackberries and blueberries, large berries cut in half
175g self-raising fl our Half tsp baking powder 175g butter, at room temperature 175g caster sugar 3 medium eggs, beaten 75g ground almonds Few drops of almond essence (optional)
FOR THE DECORATION 175g icing sugar 4–5 tsp cold water 3 tbsp toasted fl aked almonds Few extra blackberries and blueberries, or a few halved strawberries
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Brush inside a 23cm/9inch diameter or 1.5 litre/3 pint fl uted ring mould with a little oil. Add the blackberries and blueberries to a small bowl with 2 tbsp of the fl our and gently stir together until the berries are coated. Add baking powder to the remaining fl our.
2 Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fl uff y. Gradually mix in alternate spoonfuls of beaten egg and the remaining fl our, beating well after each addition and continuing until you have fi nished adding both.
3 Stir in the ground almonds, and almond essence if using, then fold in the fl our-coated
berries.
4 Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level the top. Bake for 40–50 mins or until well
risen, the top is golden and a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted into the cake.
5 Leave to cool for 30 mins then loosen the edges of the mould, turn out onto a wire rack and remove the mould. Leave to cool completely.
Foodlover Fact
Bundt cakes originated as German Kugelhopf cakes made in a special fl uted tube pan called a Kugelhopf pan.
6 Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually mix in just enough water to form a smooth icing that slowly falls from the spoon. Transfer the cake to a serving plate, drizzle the icing over in zigzag lines, decorate with a few extra berries and sprinkle with the fl aked almonds. Leave to stand for 15 mins or until the icing has set, then cut into thick slices and serve.
www.seasonalberries.co.uk
FOODLOVERMAGAZINE.COM | 51
berry bundt cake…
Festive
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