Raspberry Bakewell Cake

I adore Bakewell Tart but because Pixie is gluten intolerant it's not possible for him to eat semolina.  A vital ingredient.  I found a recipe on Good Food that is a Bakewell Cake and I've adapted it to be gluten-free by simply substituting Doves Self-raising Gluten Free Flour for normal self-raising flour.

What's great about this cake is that it also contains ground almonds, so it's super-moist and the addition of fresh raspberries instead of jam gives it an intense fruity flavour that isn't too sweet.  Also, ground almonds have the health benefit of being lower in GI and as we all know nuts are healthy for you,

It's such a hit with the family that it's requested at every gathering.

Recipe:

140g self-raising flour
140g ground almonds
140g butter [I use half butter and half baking spread]
140g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract [I love to taste almond but you can always leave this out or use 1 teaspoon]
3 tablespoons of milk [I used a little extra milk as I use gluten free flour which can make cakes a little dry but it you're using normal flour you won't need it]
3-4 tablespoons of flaked almonds

20cm springform cake tin.  Line the bottom with greaseproof paper

Method:

Turn the oven on to 180 degrees / 160 for fan ovens

Make sure the butter is very soft. I take butter from the fridge and put it in the microwave on "warm" in 20 second spurts until I can easily stick my finger in it and leave a hole]

Sieve both the ground almonds and flour. I put them in the sieve together.  The flour goes through easily but the almonds take longer.  If there are some stubborn flakes at the end that won't go through I sprinkle them over the rest from a height to incorporate some air

Cream together the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy.   For at least three minutes and add the vanilla towards the end.

Break in the two eggs into the creamed mixture and beat for a few seconds on a slow speed to incorporate.   Add a few tablespoons of the flour if it starts to curdle or separate.

Add the almond essence and beat briefly on a slow speed.

Add the rest of the flour and almonds in several batches beating for a few seconds after each addition.

The mixture will be quite stiff but that's ok.  At this stage, if you're using gluten-free add the three tablespoons of milk and beat for a further few seconds.

Spoon half the mixture into the cake tin spreading it out evenly with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle over the raspberries - making sure that you distribute them fairly evenly

Spoon over the rest of the mixture taking care not to push too hard and squash the raspberries

Sprinkle over the flaked almonds

Bake for 40-50 minutes in the centre shelf of the oven

Test the cake after 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick of skewer into the middle.  It should come out clean.