Go Back
+ servings
Print

Cherry Bakewell Cake

A twist on a classic! Almond sponge, cherry jam, almond buttercream, icing and glace cherries!
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword Cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Decorating time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 850kcal
Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 500 g Caster sugar
  • 500 g Butter or baking spread
  • 9 Eggs large
  • 100 g Ground almonds
  • 400 g Self raising flour
  • ½ tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

For the buttercream & filling

  • 250 g Butter or baking spread
  • 500 g Icing sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp Almond extract
  • 285 g Cherry jam

For the decoration

  • 200 g Icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp Water
  • 20 g Flaked almonds
  • 4 Glace cherries cut in half

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line three 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
  • Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl with a spoon until fluffy, or mix using an electric hand mixer
  • Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk until fully incorporated
  • Add the self raising flour, ground almonds and baking powder, and whisk in until you can't see any flour anymore
  • Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy
  • Bake them for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or on cooling racks
  • To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar, you can use either an electric hand mixer or do this by hand with a silicone spoon
  • When it starts to come together add the almond extract, and mix until smooth
  • If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller
  • Stack the sponges up on your plate or cake stand, piping buttercream between each layer around the edges and filling the centre with cherry jam
  • When you get to the last layer pipe larger rosettes around the edge
  • Mix the icing sugar and water together until you get a thick paste (you may not need all of the water so add it slowly)
  • Pour or pipe the icing into the centre of the cake then drizzle it between the buttercream rosettes and let it drip down the sides of the cake
  • Sprinkle flaked almonds in the centre over the icing, and add the glace cherries on top of the buttercream rosettes
  • Serve immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days

Video

Notes

  • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
  • I used unsalted butter for the buttercream, for the cake I used a baking spread.
  • I decorated the cake with glace cherries as they are traditional on cherry bakewell tarts, however if you prefer fresh cherries and they're in season then you could use those instead.
  • For better flavour, use almond extract, not essence.
  • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
  • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 850kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 84g | Vitamin A: 1305IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg