Cherry Bakewell Traybake Cake

Ingredients

• For the Cake
• 325g Unsalted Butter - room temperature
• 325g Caster Sugar
• 5 Large Eggs
• 225g Self Raising Flour
• 100g Ground Almonds
• 1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 100ml Milk (I used semi-skimmed)
• 2 teaspoons Almond Extract (Optional)
• For the Icing and Decoration
• 200g Jam (I used seedless raspberry jam)
• 500g Icing Sugar
• 100ml Water - add a little at a time
• Pink Food Colouring (Optional - I used ProGel)
• Glacé Cherries

Method

• For the Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F) standard / 140°C (280°F) fan. Line a 9"x13" tin with baking paper.
2. Add the room temperature butter and caster sugar to a large bowl and cream together (use an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer if you have one!) until smooth, light, and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mix well after adding each egg.
4. Mix in sieved self raising flour, groung almonds, and baking powder in a little at a time - this will help the mixture is stay smooth.
5. Add in the milk and almond extract (if using) and mix well.
6. Pour your mixture in to your prepared 9"x13" tin, smooth out until flat. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the surface of the cake has started to brown, and a skewer (or knife) comes out clean when inserted in to the centre of the cake. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15+ minutes, and then turning out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

• For the Icing and Decoration

1. When the cake has fully cooled down, we can decorate: Add the jam to a bowl and stir to loosen it up. Spread the jam on to the cake, covering the entire surface in a thin even layer of jam.
2. Sieve the icing sugar in to a large bowl, and then add the water a little at a time until the desired thickness has been reached and the icing is smooth (I tend to prefer a thicker icing so go for 80-100ml, but you can add more water if you prefer it thinner!).
3. Pour the icing in to the centre of the cake and then carefully spread out with a spatula (or palette knife / butter knife). Some of the icing will fall off the sides of the cake, this is okay! :) Top with the glacé cherries and then leave for at least 15 minutes at room temperature to allow the icing to firm up - slice and enjoy!

Notes

• - This cherry bakewell traybake cake will keep 2-3 days stored in an air-tight container at room temperature, however it's best enjoyed fresh!
• - This cake can be made smaller in an 9"x9" tin using the following quantities (note you will also need to reduce the baking time):
• For the Cake
• 200g Unsalted Butter - Room Temperature
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs
• 125g Self Raising Flour
• 75g Ground Almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 60ml Milk (I used Semi-Skimmed)
• 1 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)
• For the Icing and Decoration
• 125g Jam (I used seedless raspberry)
• 300g Icing Sugar
• 60ml Water - add a little at a time
• 30g Multicoloured Sprinkles (I used Dr Oetker Unicorn Sprinkles!)
• Pink Food Colouring - I used ProGel! (Optional)
• Glacé Cherries