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cookingwithmykids

Cherry cake

Cherry cake is a classic British bake. Based on a Madeira loaf cake with added cherries this cherry loaf cake uses store cupboard ingredients and is so easy to bake making it the perfect treat to go with an afternoon tea.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Afternoon tea
Cuisine: British
Calories: 472
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 175 g (¾ cup) butter / baking margarine
  • 175 g (¾ cup) golden caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 200 g (1 ¼ cup) self raising flour
  • 50 g (½ cup)ground almonds
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 150 – 200g (1 cup) glacé cherries
  • 1 Tablespoon self raising flour

Equipment

  • Digital scales
  • Freestanding mixer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 2 lb loaf tin
  • Wire rack

Method
 

Preheat your oven to 170C / 150C Fan / 340F then grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking or parchment paper.
  1. Add a strip of baking paper the width of the tin in one direction before adding another strip going the other way. Leave some paper overhanging the edge of the tin to make it easier to remove the loaf once it's finished baking.
Cream the butter and sugar together
  1. Measure out the butter and sugar and add them to a free-standing mixer or a large mixing bowl. The butter needs to be soft enough that it will mix in easily. If yours isn't cut it into a few pieces and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, but not long enough for it to melt.
    Beat the butter and sugar together using the k-paddle of your mixer, an electric hand-held mixer or even wooden spoons. Do this for a few minutes until it's light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract
  1. Add the eggs, one at a time, to your mixing bowl mixing them in in-between each addition. Your batter will be quite sloppy at this point.
    Add the vanilla extract.
Add the flour and almonds
  1. Measure out the flour and the ground almonds and add them to your mixing bowl. Gently stir them in with a spatula or wooden spoon until they have just combined. Try not to over mix it.
    If you find the batter too thick at this point, add 2-3 tablespoons of milk. You want the cake batter to be runny enough to fall of your spatula or beater.
Add the cherries
  1. Measure out the glacé cherries then wash the syrup off them.
    Cut the cherries in half or quarters if you want slightly smaller chunks in your cake.
    Pop the cherries in a bowl and add the tablespoon of flour. Stir the flour through until the cherries are coated in it.
    Add the cherries to the cake batter and stir them through so they are well distributed.
Bake the cherry cake
  1. Spoon or pour the cherry cake batter into your prepared loaf tin and spread it into each corner with a spatula, a small offset palette knife or even the back of a spoon.
    Bake the cherry loaf cake for 50-60 minutes It's ready when a or sharp knife, skewer or cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If it still has some wet cake batter sticking to it, pop it back in the oven for a little more time.
    If the top of the loaf is browning too much before it is ready, loosely cover it in foil for the last 10 minutes or so while the middle finishes baking.
  2. Remove the cherry cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then turn it out and leave it on a wire rack to cool completely .

Notes

If you don't have self raising flour, swap it for an equal amount of plain/all-purpose flour and add 1 additional teaspoon of baking powder.