Ready, steady, bake!

Raspberry, Chocolate & Almond Cake (Class 191)

Everyone is welcome to participate in the Cakes and Fancy Baking class at the Yetholm Border Shepherds’ Show. This year’s supplied recipe (class 191) is a delicious Rasberry, Chocolate and Almond Cake. Will you have a go at creating this sweet treat?

Ingredients

• 150g soft light brown sugar

• 150g butter, at room temperature

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp almond extract

• 50ml whole milk, plus more if needed

• 125g raspberries

• 150g self-raising flour

• 150g ground almonds **

• ½ tsp baking powder

• 100g dark chocolate bits

• 1tbsp flaked almonds

• Icing sugar for decoration

Method

Heat the oven to 180 deg C, gas mark 4. Butter a 20cm springform cake tin, & line the base with baking paper.

Beat the butter & sugar until light & fluffy, add the eggs a bit at a time making sure that each addition is well mixed in before adding the next.

Add the almond extract & slowly beat in the milk. Toss the raspberries with 2 tbsp of the flour. This stops them from sinking to the bottom of the sponge.

Fold the rest of the flour, the ground almonds & baking powder into the batter. You want a reluctant dropping consistency, so add 1 tsp of milk at a time until it’s right, then fold in the chocolate bits & the floured raspberries plus their flour.

Scrape this into the tin, level the top & bake for 50 minutes, sprinkling the flaked almonds on after 35 minutes. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, unclasp the surround & carefully move to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the base from the cake & peel off the paper. Sift a little icing sugar over the top.

** Whole almonds blitzed in a blender work perfectly well.

How to enter

To participate, you must register in advance and complete an entry form for the Industrial Section.