Easy Almond Cake

Whenever you see an almond cake on Sophistibakes, know that it's because my mum asked for it. Anything citrusy, almondy, it's from my mum. Baking actually came into my life from my mum. Back when she was pregnant with the youngest, she would always bake, said it was therapeutic. But after the birth, well, there was no time for that! She would always make orange cakes, banana bread, lemon loaf, polenta and almond cakes. This was a good 11 years ago, so my palate was really not interested. When she stopped, I took over a couple of years later, because GCSE food tech opened my eyes to other flavours. Now, whenever it's mother's day or my mum's birthday, she requests the kinds of cakes she used to bake. This recipe comes from Nigella Lawson, from her book, How to be a Domestic Goddess - the first Nigella book my mum bought. It's called 'Easy Almond Cake' and it really is what it says on the tin: easy. Most of the almond flavour comes from a short-cut ingredient, marzipan (how do you say marzipan?). Usually used as an icing, marzipan is a soft but firm paste made from icing and caster sugar, eggs and either almond flour, almond oil or essence. Ground almonds can also be used. Marzipan is used to make sweets, and like this recipe, can be incorporated into cakes and pastries. One can make their own marzipan, but they sell perfectly good ones in the supermarket. And if you do decide to make it, I guess the recipe can't be called 'easy' anymore. This recipe also uses the tiniest amount of almond essence to accentuate the marzipan, a whole block of butter and 6 eggs. This might seem like a lot, but that's what makes this cake so moist, so succulent, so soft. Could almost be a pudding as it's so rich, that's why it's lovely with some fresh raspberries to cut the richness. However, it still goes down easy. This cake serves 10-12 people and by the end of the night, after 6 people at it, there were only 3 slices left. Every almond fan must make this cake!

To start off, I chopped up all my butter and marzipan into small cubes.

The butter and the marzipan need to be really, really soft because you need to cream them together along with the sugar. If the marzipan still seems a bit firm after being out at room temperature all day, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds, keeping an eye on it at all times. I really don't trust microwaves, but there's no other way.

Nigella makes this cake using a food processor which will blend the butter and marzipan a lot better and quicker. But because I used a standalone mixer, I had to definitely make sure everything was soft.

Once all soft, it was ready to be creamed until pale and light.

Next, I added a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a 1/4 teaspoon of almond essence. This was whisked together.

Now for the eggs, these need to be added one at a time. So I dropped in an egg, whisked it until it was fully combined with the batter, and then added in the next one, and the next one, until all 6 had disappeared into the batter.

The last thing to add in was the flour.

This was whisked in, and the batter was done.

So simple, I was thinking to make another one!

The batter was spooned into a 25cm springform cake tin which was buttered, lined with baking parchment and lightly floured.

I put this into a 170 degree oven and let it bake for 50 minutes. Nigella says to check it after 40 minutes, which I did, and it was still wobbly in the middle. So I let it have its remaining 10 minutes. By that time, the cake was beautifully golden, the top firm and bouncy and the edges of the cake had pulled away slightly from the tin. To be very sure, I stuck a toothpick in the middle to see if it would come out clean and it did.

I left the cake to cool completely in the tin.

When we were ready to sing 'Happy Mother's Day' and let my mum cut the cake, I sprinkled the icing sugar through a sieve and tumbled the blushing raspberries on top. An easy decoration for an easy cake.

I wish every cake was as easy as this, to be able to buy another product that does all the work for you flavour-wise. The remaining 3 slices, if you're wondering, are no longer in existence. They still kept perfectly the next day and were great with a cup of tea. This cake did not lose it's moisture, and if anything, the almond flavour became more concentrated. I love this cake because it gives excellent, yummy results every time, no need to go searching and stressing looking for an almond cake recipe anymore. Thank you Nigella!

Serves: 10-12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Baking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250g Unsalted Butter, softened 
• 250g Marzipan, really soft
• 150g Caster Sugar 
• 1/4tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4tsp Almond Essence 
• 6 Eggs 
• 150g Self-Raising Flour 
• 1/2tsp Icing Sugar 
• 200-250g Raspberries 

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees. Prepare a 25cm springform tin by rubbing with butter and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Take a little bit of flour, and sprinkle it around the edges of the tin, knocking out any excess flour. 
2. Chop the butter and marzipan into cubes and place into a large mixing bowl. If the marzipan is still too firm, place onto a microwavable plate and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds, keeping a constant eye on it. 
3. Add the caster sugar to the bowl and cream with the butter and marzipan until light and creamy. This can be done in a food processor, a standalone mixer or using an electric hand whisk. 
4. Once creamed, add the 1/4 teaspoons of vanilla extract and almond essence. Mix this into the batter. 
5. Crack in an egg and mix this in with the batter until fully integrated. Do this with each individual egg. 
6. Next, add in the self-raising flour and mix this in too. 
7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and put this into the oven to bake for 50 minutes. Make sure to check after 40 minutes. To check if the cake is ready, stick a skewer or toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Leave to cool completely in the tin. 
8. When ready to serve, sieve the icing sugar over the top of the cake and pile the raspberries into the middle. Cake will keep for a week in an airtight container or box.