Lavender sugar blackberry cake with frangipane top
cake studded with fresh blackberries and lavender infused sugar and topped with frangipane
Ingredients
for sponge layer
- 220 grams golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp dried lavender
- 220 grams unsalted butter softened
- 4 eggs
- 220 grams self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 150g blackberries
for frangipane layer
- 150 grams unsalted butter softened
- 150 grams golden caster sugar
- 200 grams ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- handful blackberries
- handful flaked almonds
- icing sugar
- 1 egg
Instructions
For the cake layer
- Preheat the oven to 160c fan or 180c
- Grease and line a 21cm spring form cake pan with baking paper
- Add the sugar and dried lavender in a food processor and pulse until the lavender has broken up and blended with the sugar
- Add the lavender sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attachment and add the butter and whip for 2 minutes, then scrape around the sides of the bowl with a spatula and whisk again for a further 3 minutes or until pale, light and fluffy. scrape around the sides of the bowl again ready for the next step. ( alternatively make in a bowl using a hand held electric whisk, if you don't have an electric whisk you can make it by hand with a hand held whisk but this will take more time)
- Add one egg and turn up the speed and whisk for 2 to 4 minutes, turn off mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again, then add the next egg. Continue this process of whisking for 2 to 4 minutes and scraping the bowl before you add the next egg. once all of the eggs have been added, add the vanilla and mix for 1 minute.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and sift in the flour and salt and fold in using the spatula.
- dust blackberries with flour and fold in 3/4 of them and pour into the lined baking pan, then press in the rest on the top.
- Put the cake in the oven for 15 minutes, just long enough to slightly bake it making it safe to add the topping, while its in the oven make the frangipane top
For the frangipane
- Whip the butter and sugar together or 4 minutes until pale and fluffy,
- Add the egg and almond extract and whip again, then add the almonds and mix
- carefully remove the cake from the oven, it will be very liquidy still and banging it around too much can cause it to sink. Add spoonfuls of the franipane over the top of the cake and place on the blackberries and flaked almonds, Note - you wont need all off the frangipane for this recipe, save the rest for another recipe. (bostock or almond croissants would be perfect)
- Bake for a further 45/50 minutes. Check if the cake is done by inserting a clean knife into the centre, if it needs longer put back in for 10 more minutes and check again. (I ended up needing to cook it for about 65 minutes, but my oven temperature isn't always reliable so i would rather you check it after 45/50 minutes and go from there)
- let cool in the tin, then dust with icing sugar
- We ate this with a spoon full of clotted cream but whipped cream or mascarpone would also be lovely.