Hugh’s fresh cherry cake with streusel topping

Prep time
30 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Servings
8
Ingredients
For the cake
125g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
75g self-raising white or wholemeal flour
75g ground almonds (ready-ground or whizzed in a food processor)
1 tsp almond extract (optional but lovely if you like that extraalmondy, frangipane taste)
300g fresh cherries, stoned and halved
 
For the topping
25g plain white or wholemeal flour
25g ground almonds
50g caster sugar
25g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
50g blanched almonds, slivered
 
Equipment
20cm springform cake tin, lightly greased and base-lined with baking parchment

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Start by making the streusel topping. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds and caster sugar and stir to combine. Rub in the butter, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.

For the cake, in a mixing bowl, using either a wooden spoon or hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter to a cream. Add the caster sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating 1 tbsp of the flour with each, and beating until thoroughly combined before adding the next. Stir in the ground almonds and almond extract, if using. Sift in the remaining flour
and fold in gently, using a large metal spoon.

Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing it out evenly and gently with the back of the spoon. Lay the cherries over the top of the mixture. Sprinkle
the streusel topping evenly over the cherries and then scatter the slivered almonds all over the top.

Bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes, until the almonds are lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave for 10 minutes before releasing the tin and moving the cake to a wire rack to cool. This cake is delicious warm or cold, with custard (if serving warm) or clotted cream or Greek yoghurt. It will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight tin.

P.S. To help save the British cherry, visit www.foodloversbritain.com and look up their CherryAid campaign.