Top Summer Cake Recipes

As the weather gets warmer and the sun shines, the range of fruits that appear in the supermarket seem to increase and all the local fruiters have a mouth-watering choice available.  There are many ways of making use of all this luscious fruit and one of the best ways is to use it in cakes.  So here are two top summer cake recipes to inspire you.

Raspberry Bakewell cake

Ingredients

• 140g ground almonds
• 140g softened butter
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 140g self raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g raspberries
• 2 tbsp flakes almonds
• Icing sugar for finishing

Heat the over to 180C and take a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin, which then needs base lining and greasing.  Into the food processor put the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, eggs and the vanilla extract.  Blitz until they are well combined.

Take half the mixture and spread in into the cake tin, smoothing it out.  Scatter the raspberries over the top of the mixture then add the other half and let it spread roughly – fingers can be the best bet for this.  Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top and then bake in the oven for 50 minutes until it is golden in colour.  Remove it from the oven and leave to cool.  When serving, dust with icing sugar.

Orange layer cake

Ingredients

• 225g baking spread
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 100g brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Zest of 2 oranges, grated finely

For the butter icing:

• 150g softened butter
• 300g icing sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges, grated finely

For the glaze:

• 25g caster sugar
• Juice of 2 oranges

Heat the oven to 180C and grease and line two 20cm loose bottom sandwich tins.  Measure all the cake ingredients and put them into a large bowl then beat with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until smooth and combined.

Split the mixture into the two tins then bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and risen.  They should shrink away from the sides when properly cooked.  Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, but the butter and icing sugar into the large bowl and mix until light and fluffy then stir in the orange zest. 

Remove the paper from the cakes and turn one upside down on a plate.  Make up the glaze of caster sugar and orange juice by adding together in a pan and heating over a low heat until the sugar dissolved.  Boil until it reduces by around half then brush the mixture onto the upturned side of the cake.  Spread half the butter icing on top of this then put the second cake on top.  Brush the remaining glaze on the top of the cake and add the rest of the butter icing then sprinkle with a little orange zest.

The cake is best eaten fresh but will keep for three days in a cool spot and the basic cake, un-iced, can even be frozen if you want to make a batch.

Original recipes to be found at BBC Good Food