Old-fashioned Cherry Cake

Cherry cake has always been a firm family favourite. However, sometimes without there being any possible explanation, those unobliging cherries refuse to stay suspended in the cake and, sadly, end up in a heap at the bottom! The answer is to use the right recipe - and we've had lots of complimentary letters about this one!

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Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) butter at room temperature
8 oz (225 g) caster sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz (225 g) plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
9 oz (250 g) glacé cherries, quartered
4 oz (110 g) ground almonds
a few drops almond essence
2 level tablespoons demerara sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

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Equipment
You will also need a round cake tin, 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and 4 inches (10 cm) deep. Line the base and sides of the tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then grease the paper.

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together until light, pale and fluffy. Now gradually beat in the whisked egg a little at a time. Then sift the flour and baking powder together, and carefully fold this into the creamed mixture using a metal spoon. Toss the quartered cherries in together with the ground almonds, and carefully fold these into the cake, adding one or two drops of almond essence and the milk. Now spoon the cake mix into the prepared tin, level off the top with the back of a spoon, then sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour, cover with foil and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes, or until the cake has shrunk away from the side of the tin and the centre is springy to touch. Cool the cake in the tin for 15 minutes before turning it out on to a wire rack to cool. Store in a tin.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith's Book of Cakes.

Photograph by Miles New.

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