Almond Cake With Fresh Fruit Food

FRUIT-TOPPED ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously spray bottom and side of 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
• Bake and cool as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch rounds.
• Place berries in medium bowl. In 1-quart saucepan, heat preserves and apple juice to boiling, stirring frequently. Pour over berries; toss berries until coated with preserves mixture. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Gently cut off any dome from top of cake, using serrated knife, to make top level. On serving plate, place cake, sliced side down. Arrange berries on cake; drizzle with syrup remaining in bowl. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Store leftover cake covered in refrigerator.

ALMOND CAKE WITH FRESH FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Chop almonds in food processor. Add the sugar and eggs and process 1-minute. Add the butter and salt and process 1 minute more.
• Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack in pan. When cool, carefully unmold.
• Melt raspberry preserves and spread over cake. Slice fruit and arrange over cake. Combine apricot preserves and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat until melted. Strain and drizzle over fruit.

FRESH FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• PREHEAT the oven to 180°C.
• Butter a 23cm cake tin, preferably one with a removable base, and sprinkle with the dried breadcrumbs.
• Dust off excess crumbs and set tin aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to incorporate the ingredients.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder together and with a wooden spoon mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture with the milk and vanilla paste (and almond extract if using), stirring only enough to incorporate.
• Spoon half the batter into the tin and carefully spoon in the fresh fruit on top of the batter. Then spoon the second half of the batter over the fruit. Don't worry if the batter does not completely cover the fruit. During the cooking process, it will spread and the fruit will be encased in the cake.
• Bake in a pre-heated 180C oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and stand for 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the cake tin.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar.

APRICOT & ALMOND FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Mix the sultanas and sherry and set aside for 1 hr to soak.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a deep, 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin, and line the base and sides with a double layer of baking parchment that comes about 2.5cm above the sides of the tin. In your largest mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one.
• Stir in the flour, baking powder, and the ground and flaked almonds. Next, add the soaked sultanas with any remaining sherry, the dried apricots, the mixed peel, and all the zest and juice. Scrape into the cake tin, smoothing out the surface.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hr 25 mins. Poke with a skewer in the centre to check it is cooked - if the skewer comes out with any uncooked mixture stuck to it, bake for 10 mins more before checking again. Cool in the tin. Decorated, or wrapped in greaseproof paper and foil, the cake will keep for up to a month.

ALMOND CAKE WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• CAKE:.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Butter an 8-inch round cake pan that is 2 inches deep.
• Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the paper.
• Put the almond paste, sugar, 1 stick of butter and the vanilla in a food processor and process for 10 seconds.
• Add the eggs, milk, and salt and process for 5 seconds.
• Add the flour and baking powder and process for 5 to 10 seconds, until smooth.
• Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes.
• Let cool.
• THE SYRUP:.
• Combine the syrup ingredients in a small bowl.
• Stir to dissolve the sugar.
• ASSEBMLY:.
• Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a serving platter.
• Using a spoon or pastry brush, moisten the cake with the syrup.
• Scatter the berries on top of the cake and around it.
• Spoon on the diluted apricot jam and garnish with the mint leaves.
• Serve with the sour cream or crème fraiche.
• *You can make this cake early in the day. Or make several cakes, wrap, well and freeze. Defrost, still in their wrappings, in the refrigerator.