BILBERRY AND DAMSON CAKE
Preparation 35 minutes Cooking 50 minutes Makes 10-12 slices The cake can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight tin before being decorated with the fruit.
250g soft butter, plus extra for greasing 250g caster sugar 5 medium eggs, separated zest of 2 lemons 150g self-raising flour 150g ground almonds ½ tsp ground cardamom 3 tbsp milk 75g bilberries (or blueberries)
FOR THE TOPPING
about 12 damsons (or small plums), halved and de-stoned 1 tbsp light brown soft sugar 4 tbsp orange juice
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 150g bilberries (or blueberries) icing sugar, for dusting
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Grease and line the base of a 21cm-22cm round cake tin. Cream the butter and sugar in a food mixer or with electric hand beaters until fluffy and lighter in colour. Beat in the egg yolks and lemon zest until incorporated. Fold in the flour, ground almonds, cardamom and milk. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Fold a large spoonful into the cake mix to loosen it, then fold in the remainder. Turn half of the mixture into the prepared tin, then scatter over the bilberries. Top with the rest of the cake mix and smooth with the back of a spoon to level. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the topping. First, put the damsons in one layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle over the sugar and orange juice. Tuck in the cardamom pods. Cover the dish with foil and cook for 15-25 minutes until tender (this will depend on the fruit’s ripeness). Remove the foil and add the bilberries. Continue cooking in the oven, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes until the bilberries have softened. Leave to cool, then remove the cardamom pods. When ready to serve the cake, put it on a large plate and arrange the fruit on top. Drizzle with a little of the fruit juices and dust with icing sugar. Serve at once.