Serves: Makes one 24 cm ring cake - Time:
Ring cakes are real showstoppers- they look really impressive although it’s the same batter mix as an ordinary cake. You can go to town with the decoration, especially if the cake is for a special occasion. Fresh flowers look particularly wonderful piled into the centre. We’re still enjoying the fresh cherry season-just- but I’m pretty sure that blueberries would be a more than acceptable substitution for the cherries when the latter are no longer in season.
Ingredients
- 190g plain flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 40g ground almonds
- 175g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 180g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 100g white chocolate chips
- 230g cherries, pitted
- For the glaze
- 125g white chocolate, roughly chopped
- 55ml semi-skimmed milk
Method
- Heat the oven to 180˚c, fan oven 160˚c, mark 4. Mix together the flour, baking powder and ground almonds and set aside.
- Butter a 24 cm (1.6 litre) ring mould. Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the almond extract and gradually beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Arrange half the cherries over the base of the ring mould. Carefully spoon over the batter and level out. Place the remaining cherries over the batter. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until the cake is firm to the touch, slightly shrunken from the edges and a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
- For the glaze, put the chocolate and milk in a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir gently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Leave to cool until the chocolate is the consistency of thick double cream. Drizzle over the cake and leave to set.
