RASPBERRY AND CINNAMON TORTE

MAKE this delicious torte when homegrown raspberries are abundant, or use frozen ones to bring some summer colour to a drab winter day. You can add chopped nuts to the cakey-textured base if you like, too. You will need a 22cm (8½in) round springform tin. Serves 8

150g (5½oz) butter, at room temperature, plus extra to grease 150g (5½oz) self-raising flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon 50g (5½oz) golden caster sugar 150g (5½oz) ground almonds 1 egg 225g (8oz) raspberries, thawed if frozen

Icing sugar and ground cinnamon, to dust

TO SERVE

Melba sauce Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas mark 4. Grease the tin and line the base with baking parchment. Sift the flour and cinnamon into a bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the bowl along with the sugar and ground almonds. Break the egg in a separate bowl and beat lightly. Stir the egg into the rest of the ingredients and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon or electric beaters until just smooth. Spread half of the mixture into the prepared tin and gently smooth. Sprinkle the raspberries over the mixture and dot the remaining torte mixture in tablespoonfuls on top so that it almost covers the fruit. Stand the tin on a baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just firm and slightly springy. Loosely cover the top with foil if it is becoming too brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for one hour to allow it to set completely. Remove the cooled torte from the tin and dust lightly with icing sugar sifted with a little cinnamon. Serve just warm with the Melba sauce (see below) and some cream or Greek yogurt on the side.

To make Melba sauce: * Blend 250g (9oz) fresh raspberries and 30-50g (1-1¾oz) icing sugar until smooth. Sieve into a bowl, adjusting the consistency with a little warm water, if needed, and serve immediately .