This is proving to be a firm favourite with our holiday cottage guests and it is easy to make too. Also lovely with blueberries and a great way of using up slightly squishy fruit.

Ingredients (for 1x 20cm or a slightly deeper 18cm cake) :

140g softened butter
140g caster sugar
2 large eggs
140g self raising flour
140g ground almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp almond essence
200g (ish – I just use enough to pack a single layer) raspberries
2 tbsp flaked almonds
Icing sugar to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4. Grease and base line the tin.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding a tablespoon of flour with the final egg to prevent curdling.
3. Add flour, ground almonds and vanilla & almond essences and mix well.
4. Spread half the mixture over the cake tin and smooth the top. Scatter the raspberries over and then dollop over the remaining cake mixture and smooth over the top. Scatter with flaked almonds.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden.
6. Leave to cool in the tin, remove and dust with icing sugar to serve.