Currant Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Serves 12

1½ cups red and black currants ¾ cup flour, plus 1 tbsp extra 2 heaped tsp baking powder 1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup ground almonds

5 eggs

1 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 tbsp red and black currants,

to decorate

ICING

¾ cup cream cheese ½ cup icing sugar 1/3 cup crème fraîche

Wash the berries and drain well. Mix the berries with the extra 1 tbsp of flour. Line a 21cm x 11cm loaf tin with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced).

For the batter, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and ground almonds in a large bowl. Mix the eggs, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest, then stir into the flour mixture. Carefully stir in the berries and pour the creamy dough into the loaf tin.

Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. To test if the cake is cooked, insert a wooden or metal skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes, then remove from the loaf pan onto a cake rack.

For the icing, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar and crème fraîche with hand beaters until creamy.

With a palate knife, spread loosely on the cake and decorate the cake with the berries.