Raspberry & custard almond cake

This is a moist, squishy cake that can be served warm with extra custard or cold. It is a light sponge but the addition of custard, almonds and sharp-sweet raspberries means it all sinks in together to make a layer of delightful stodge. Yes please!

SERVES 8 hungry people

400g fresh raspberries 250ml Vanilla Custard (see recipe, opposite) 250g unsalted butter, softened 150g golden caster sugar 100g light brown soft sugar 4 large eggs 200g plain flour 50g ground almonds 125ml whole milk 2 tsp baking powder grated zest of 1 orange 30g flaked almonds icing sugar, to finish (optional) ● Preheat the oven to 160C fan (180C/350F/gas 4). Grease a 23cm springform cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. ● Set aside 100g raspberries for decoration. Put 200g of the remaining raspberries in a small bowl and crush them. Fold the crushed raspberries through the custard. ● Combine the butter, both types of sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds, milk, baking powder and orange zest in a large bowl and beat together with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. Fold in the remaining 100g raspberries – it is a good thing if some of them are crushed. ● Tip half the sponge mixture into the greased and lined cake tin and top with the raspberry-swirled custard. Pour the other half of the sponge mixture over the top of the custard and spread out evenly. Scatter the flaked almonds over the surface. ● Bake for 1-1¼ hours. Test after 1 hour by inserting a skewer in the middle – if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 1½ hours before turning out on to a wire rack to cool fully. ● Serve with the reserved raspberries and decorate the cake with a dusting of icing sugar, if you like. ➤