#150 Cherry 'Bakewell' cake

Hey pals, hope you’re all doing well?

As I mentioned last Sunday, I’m away for the weekend (watching fast cars drive around in circles, at the British Grand Prix - YAY), and thus, am dropping by today, (early!!), with a few (somewhat chaotic) thought-nuggets from the week so far, AND, a blissfully simple, comforting, Cherry Bakewell Cake recipe for you to try this weekend, that oozes summer goodness!

First up though, a quick round up of the week; thoughts, random non-bake related recommendations, and some supercharged baking content in lieu of 2-3 days divorced from my kitchen. Let’s get cracking:

• Waking up at 5am each morning, (because it’s oh-so-light, and chirpy outside), and subsequently, not being able to switch off again, leads to some WILD afternoon fatigue - siestas should be mandatory in summer, for sure.

• … those extra morning minutes do, however, seem to be fruitful in terms of baking output. I have magicked some DE-licious bakes between the hours of 5am and 7am most mornings this week, so that’s a silver lining, isn’t it?

• … which leads me on to the baking mania that’s ensued this week; it’s like I’ve been banking bakes for the three days when I can’t!! Also cannot WAIT for you to try some of these creations… there’s been: Raspberry ripple ice cream, choux and chocolate sauce (I’m affectionately referring to this as a boujee ‘99’ - so good), my everyday dessert… aka, a berry, lime fool with crunchy coconut shortbread, (simple perfection), some lovely, bubbly wholemeal ciabatta, a SOFFFFT little Earl Grey tea loaf that I am/was (it’s now vanished) obsessed with (literally can’t stop banging on about it!), more bagels, more crackers, more Vicky sponge cakes (this time with raspberry jam, luscious whipped cream, and a hint of lemon)… basically what I’m saying is; it’s been a FUN baking week!

  

  

  

  A slice of this week's nice for your eyes to feast on...

• MASSIVELY into the idea of using whipped, double cream in cakes having read Nicola (Lamb’s) latest newsletter here… I gave her recipe a try on Monday and oh wow, it yields the sofffffftest sponge - somehow light and rich all in one? Will be heeding her advice and doing this more going forward!!

• I’m obsessed with these energy balls - have been riffing this recipe on repeat over the past few weeks (with tahini, coffee and honey), and have prepared some to take away with us, because they’re excellent snack fodder, sweet, squidgy, energy-dense, wholesome, deliciousness - you must try!

• Also, for snacking… might have mentioned this before but I’m VERY into the ‘Honest bean co’ fava beans - I’m a ‘plain Jane’ and go for lightly salted - I find them to be a superb high-protein, satiating, salty morsel - they get a 10/10 from me.

• Wimbledon has been WIMBLEDON-ING, hasn’t it? I’m especially loving: the strawberries and cream… (and Pimm’s), Claire Balding on the BBC, how quintessentially British it all is… and OBVIOUSLY the thrilling tennis action. (Am also a sucker for a romance so I’m fully buying into the Emma Radacanu/Carlos Alcaraz relationship rumours!)

• Have been adoring alfresco dinners with my best pal… posing below…

• … and generally loving these gorjus colourful, warm evenings…

  

Ok, I think that’s us caught up and I really MUST go… still need to finish packing bits (socks, must remember socks!)… but quickly… don’t forget to have a peek of my little Cherry Bakewell cake below - it’s one to pop on your bake list, just the slice of summer comfort you want/need right now, I’m sure of it!

… and, as always, heaps of love to you all, hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Steph X X X

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Cherry ‘Bakewell’ Cake

This cake is, is an ode to my unrequited love for cherries (inbuilt from a young age - as demonstrated by this pic…).

Besides greedily gobbling massive handfuls at this time of year (not stopping until my hands and face are blushing pink), I’m very partial to stuffing cherries into bakes wherever possible, especially when combined with their best friend, almonds, (as you will have gathered by the fact that I’ve bombarded you with two cherry/almond recipes in consecutive newsletters - apologies to any cherry almond haters, although don’t run away too fast, you can totally opt for a different fruit or nut to suit your preference in this instance!!)

As well as showcasing one of my favourite flavour combos, this is my ideal ‘simple’ cake. It literally serves a million purposes: perfect for if you have friends coming over for tea, equally perfect to serve slightly warm, with something creamy, as a dessert, it’s a wonderful picky-cake to enjoy with your family (or alone, I’m not judging) through the week, bake it as a gift, or take it with you on your next picnic - it’s a real all-rounder!

Inspired by a few similar recipes developed by my baking pals, (Benjamina, Nicola, and Letitia), it’s comprised of an ultra-tender sponge, packed with both creamy ricotta and a hefty portion of ground almonds for XXL moisture. It’s spiked with bitter almond flavour in the form of almond extract and is studded with fat, juicy cherries. The top is scattered with flaked almonds for more flavour, crunch, and beauty, ofc! And I like to add a blanket of icing sugar once it’s cooled, it just works!!

I can’t rave about this one enough… you just gotta try it! Happy Baking friends!