The flavours of cherry and almond and famously good friends, as shown by the ever popular cherry bakewell tart. This loaf cake highlights everything there is to love about cherry and almond!
Topped with flaked almonds and glace cherries and filled with cherry jam, this cake is special enough to serve for birthdays or other occasions. But it’s still really easy to make – give it a go!
I’ve used ground almonds in the cake batter to really make that delicious almond flavour shine through. You can also add a touch of almond essence to make the flavour even more prominent.
The Ingredients
- The cake – for the cake itself, you will need butter, light brown sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, ground almonds, glacé cherries and cherry jam. You can use caster sugar in place of light brown sugar if you need to.
- The topping – the topping is made from icing (a simple mix of icing sugar and water), glacé cherries and flaked almonds.
Tips for a Successful Loaf Cake
- Checking the bake – to see if your loaf cake is cooked all the way through, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, it is cooked. If not, cook for another 10 minutes then try again.
- Decorating the cake – you will need to wait until the cake is cool before decorating. If it’s still hot, the icing (and other toppings) will run off.
- Storage – this cake can be frozen. Simply allow to cool completely, wrap well and freeze for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly before eating.
Cherry and Almond Loaf Cake
A loaf cake with the classic flavours of a bakewell tart – cherry and almond. Filled with cherry jam and topped with flaked almonds and glace cherries.
Equipment
- 1 skewer
Ingredients
- 140 grams butter softened
- 140 grams light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 225 grams self-raising flour
- 75 grams ground almonds
- 10 glacé cherries
- 3 tablespoons cherry jam
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
- 75 grams icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line a 2lb loaf tin with a loaf tin liner or baking paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each one.
- Cut 5 of the glacé cherries into small pieces. Add to the bowl along with the flour and ground almonds and fold in.
- Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the cake tin. Add the jam in dollops, then top with the rest of the batter, ensuring the jam is completely covered.
- Put in the oven for 50 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- When baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Put the icing sugar into a bowl and add water, a teaspoon at a time, and stir until you have a thick paste.
- Drizzle or spread the icing over the top of the cooled cake. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and remaining glacé cherries.
Video
More delicious loaf cake recipes to try:
- Apple Loaf Cake
- Blackberry Loaf Cake
- Hidden Creme Egg Loaf Cake
- White Chocolate Birthday Loaf Cake
- Coconut and Mango Loaf Cake
- Savoury Olive and Halloumi Loaf Cake
- Easter Simnel Cake
- Summer Fruit Cake
- Sultana Cake with Lemon
- Orange and Honey Cake
Full of Bakewell flavours and with that delightful jam stuffing, you’re going to love this!