with a dollop of natural Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche.
The yoghurt in this cake gives it a gentle tang and ensures it is wonderfully light. The sweetness comes mostly from honey, and being made with sunflower or vegetable oil, this cake has a deliciously soft crumb. It will keep in an airtight box for up to a week.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 35 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 6–8
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
75g (3oz) ground almonds
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
50g (2oz) honey
250ml (9fl oz) natural yoghurt
150ml (5fl oz) sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
To decorate
1 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
23cm (9in) diameter cake tin with 6cm (2½ in) sides
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, then grease the sides of the cake tin with vegetable oil and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl, add the ground almonds and sugar and mix everything together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, yoghurt and vegetable oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, then carefully fold in to combine.
Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use a small, sharp knife to loosen the edges, then carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool down completely on a wire rack before transferring to a serving plate.
Mix together the icing sugar and cinnamon and dust over the cake to serve.
Raspberry and blueberry friands
A friand is a type of cake that is very popular down under in both New Zealand and Australia. The sponge is extremely light, made with an egg-white foam and ground almonds. These will stay wonderfully moist for up to three days if kept in an airtight box.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 20–25 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour
Makes: 12 cakes
7 egg whites (about 250ml/9fl oz)
150g (5oz) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
50g (2oz) plain flour
100g (3½oz) ground almonds
100g (3½oz) butter, melted
24 fresh or frozen (and defrosted) raspberries
24 fresh or frozen (and defrosted) blueberries
Icing sugar, to dust
12-cup muffin tray and 12 muffin cases
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5, and line the muffin tray with the paper cases.
Whisk the egg whites in a bowl using a hand-held electric whisk or in an electric food mixer, beating until the egg whites are foamy but not holding stiff peaks. Sift in the icing sugar and flour, then add the ground almonds and melted butter and stir just to combine.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, filling each three-quarters full, then add two raspberries and two blueberries to the centre of each cake, pressing the fruit in lightly. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a light golden colour and slightly springy to the touch.
Remove the friands from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove from the tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Arrange on a plate and dust with icing sugar to serve.
This cake is incredibly quick to make, with the food processor doing all of the work. The marzipan gives the cake a wonderfully moist texture and an intense almondy flavour. You can make your own marzipan, and I’ve included a recipe opposite, or, for a super-fast cake, just use shop-bought marzipan if you prefer.
Prep time: 5 minutes (excluding the marzipan)
Baking time: 50 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 8–12
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
125g (4½oz) marzipan (to make it yourself)
100g (3½oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
4 eggs
A few drops (not more than ⅛ tsp) of almond essence or extract
75g (3oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
20cm (8in) diameter cake tin with 6cm (2½ in) sides
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3. Butter the sides of
