Raspberry, chocolate & almond teacake

Saturday morning we awoke to a dark and gloomy sky and the sound of constant drizzle. Not the mother’s day weekend we had in mind but we quickly adapted. 

I pulled out my favourite Boeuf Bourguignon recipe and quickly scribbled down a list of ingredients needed. As R left for the market I swiftly added almond meal and raspberries to the list knowing a raspberry & chocolate almond teacake would be perfect as well.

R returned with an armful of groceries, a beautiful bottle of vino and a very cheeky grin, one to cover the fact he'd been purchasing Mother's Day gifts on behalf of Grace. My excitement grew. 

Once the Bourguignon was simmering slowly I pulled out my favourite cake pan and mixing bowl and turned my attention to the luscious red raspberries perched on the kitchen bench. 

This teacake is divine. A perfect balance of sweet tender crumb to jammy raspberries and heavenly molten dark chocolate. To echo the almond meal I spiked the cake batter with a splosh of amaretto and adorned the top of the cake with a layer of flaked almonds that roasted to golden perfection. 

Once baked I perched the wonderfully golden, raspberry swirled cake on the bench to cool a little before dusting with an angelically light layer of icing sugar. With two cups of English breakfast, we enjoyed the drizzly mothers day weekend nibbling on slices of the heavenly teacake. 

Raspberry, chocolate & almond cake

Adapted from delicious magazine, May 2013

INGREDIENTS

150g softened unsalted butter, chopped

2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tbs amaretto

50ml milk

1 cup (150g) self raising flour, sifted

150g almond meal

¾ cup (135g) dark chocolate chips

150g raspberries

1/3 cup (25g) flaked almonds

Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Grease and line base and sides of a 20cm round cake pan.

Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar until thick and pale.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the amaretto and milk and beat to combine.  Fold through the flour and almond meal.  Then fold in the raspberries and chocolate chips.

Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer is inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Cool cake in tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.  Dust with icing sugar.  Enjoy.