Cherry Traybake

I was inspired to make this Cherry Traybake by a baking subscriptio box called Bake Box - that is sadly now discontinued. It's a lovely almond traybake cake studded with glace cherries, it's decorated with icing and cherries cut out from coloured marzipan using a special cutter. It's a great bake for a bake sale or a picnic!

Step by step...

I started by making the sponge, I creamed together butter and golden caster sugar. Then I whisked in eggs and milk. Finally I folded in self raising flour, baking powder and ground almonds.

I tossed glacé cherries in flour then added them to the mixture.

I poured the batter into a lined traybake tin and smoothed it out.

It baked on 160C Fan/ 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes.

To make the cherries I decided to use marzipan as I had it in the cupboard already and I thought the almond flavour would go well with the cherry sponge. I split the marzipan in half and kneaded green and red food colouring into each half. I then dusted my work surface with icing sugar and rolled them out into strips and connected them by rolling the edges together.

Then I used the cherry plunger from Bake Box to cut out the cherry decorations. I lay them on some baking paper to set.

When the sponge was cool I brushed it all over with 2 tbsp jam. I used strawberry as I had some in the fridge, but of course cherry would be ideal.

Then I rolled out the white ready to roll icing.

I covered the sponge with the white icing, trimmed the edges, then cut the traybake into squares - 4 by 6.

Finally I brushed water onto the back of the cherry decorations and stuck them down onto each square.

I thought the Cherry Traybake looked so pretty! The cherry design from the plunger looked so fun and colourful. The sponge was delicious too, it was really light and perfectly punctuated by the sweet cherries throughout.

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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Cherry Traybake

Traybake style cake with glace cherries and fondant icing, topped with marzipan cherries

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Cake

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings: 24

Author: thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the cake

• 225 g Butter
• 225 g Golden caster sugar
• 3 Eggs large
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 275 g Self raising flour
• ¾ tsp Baking Powder
• 65 g Ground almonds
• 200 g Glace Cherries

For the decoration

• 250 g Marzipan
• 1 kg White icing
• 2 tbsp Jam
• Red food colouring
• Green food colouring

Instructions

• Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, grease and line a 12" x 9" traybake tin
• To make the sponge cream together the butter and golden caster sugar. Then whisk in the eggs and milk. Finally fold in the self raising flour, baking powder and ground almonds
• Toss the glace cherries in some flour to coat them then add them to the mixture
• Pour the batter into the tin and smooth it out
• Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool fully
• Split the marzipan in half and knead green food colouring into one half and red food colouring into the other half. Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll them out into strips, connect them by slightly overlapping the edges and using a rolling pin to roll over them and seal the edges together
• Use the cherry plunger from Bake Box to cut out the cherry decorations. Lay them on some baking paper to set
• When the sponge is cool, brush it all over with the jam
• Roll out the white icing, either onto cling film or onto a icing sugar dusted work surface
• Cover the sponge with the white icing, trim the edges, then cut the traybake into squares - 4 by 6. Brush water onto the back of the cherry decorations and stick them down onto each square

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If you like this, check out more of my Traybake recipes!