CHERRY & ALMOND CRUMBLE CAKE

Serves 8 (See photograph, page 75) 2 cups plain flour ¼ cup almond meal ¾ cup caster sugar 180g cold unsalted butter, chopped ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs, lightly whisked 300ml sour cream 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 250g fresh cherries, pitted 1 tablespoon white sugar 60g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon icing sugar mixture, to dust

Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a 22cm round springform pan, then line base and side with baking paper. Combine flour, almond meal and caster sugar in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Transfer ¾ cup of flour mixture to a separate bowl to make crumble topping. Add cinnamon to topping and stir until well combined. Place topping in freezer to firm. Sift baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into remaining flour mixture. Stir until well combined. Place eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and beat with a fork. Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth surface. Arrange pitted cherries over top of cake, gently pressing into surface. Sprinkle cherries with white sugar. Remove crumble topping from freezer and spoon over cake. Top with chopped almonds. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer cake to a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.