a simple cake to serve with fruit
rating:this is exactly the sort of cake that goes with the poached fruit I mentioned.
swap almonds for hazelnuts for an autumnal cake. Use orange instead of lemon. Tryy a teaspoon or orange flower water with the juice. Experiment!
250g butter
250g caster sugar
1 lemon - organic or unwaxed
75g ground almods
100g plain flour
100g soft dried apricots
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
23cm cake tin, base lined with greaseproof or parchment
preheat oven to gas 4/180c. Beat butter and sugar (electric whisk here) until white and fluffy. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze its juice. Mix ground almonds and flour together, whiz apricots in a food processor until very finely chopped - just this side of a puree.
add eggs to butter and sugar a little at a time, with the beater on slow. Turn machine off, add lemon zest and 1/3 of almonds and flour, then turn mixer on slow until ingredients are incorporated. Add second, and then third, lot of flour and almonds, switching the machine off each time. Do not rush, or you will end up with a heavy cake.
with the machine still on slow, mix in the lemon juice and the apricots. Transfer the mixture to the lined tin, smoothing the top as you go.
bake for about 35 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto a place. Best served slightly warm.