Apricot, almond and cranberry cake
Ingredients
- For the decorations
- 1 orange
- 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
- 4-5 green grapes
- 6 bay leaves
- 2tbsp orange juice
- For the cake
- 175g (6oz) butter
- 175g (6oz) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 300g (10oz) self-raising flour
- 100g (3½oz) dried cranberries
- 200g (7oz) ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
- 50g (2oz) ground almonds
- grated zest 1 orange
Each serving contains 365 calories, 22g sugar, 17g fat, 8.5g saturates and 0.6g salt.
Method
Make decorations first. Using a potato peeler pare off one long strip of orange rind, grate the rest for the cake. Cut the long strip of orange rind into 3 or 4 strips and wind up tightly. Set aside.
Brush grapes and bay leaves with a little egg white (taken from one of the eggs and use remainder of egg in the cake) and dust with a little caster sugar. Leave to dry.
Heat oven to Gas 3, 160°C, fan 140°C. Line and grease a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs adding a little flour if the mixture curdles. Stir in flour with cranberries, apricots, almonds and orange zest.
Spread into the tin, smooth top and bake for 1½ hours until golden, risen and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin.
To decorate baked cake put 2 tablespoons orange juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into a small pan and boil for 2 minutes until syrupy. Add remaining sugar, stir well then drizzle over the cake. Decorate with frosted grapes, bay leaves and curls of orange peel.
This cake will keep for a week in a cake tin.
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