The Great Birthday Cake Intervention: 12 Years of the Same Old Birthday Cake - How I staged a Cherry Bakewell Cake Rebellion

Every year, as my husband's birthday approaches, a familiar dilemma arises: The cake. For twelve years, he has unwaveringly requested the River Cottage Pear and Almond Cake. Whilst it's undeniably good ... 12 years of making the same cake!! ... I mean, really?? It was time for a change— We needed to stage a birthday cake intervention.

It could be argued that it's his birthday, so let the man eat his cake ... However, after some persuasion, even though I was met with resistance, I won him round with the idea of another of his firm favourites - Cherry Bakewell Tart, but in cake form!

Keeping the Cherry Bakewell Cake Safe

The only other challenge I faced was keeping our beautiful, but crafty dog, Riggs (aka Captain Twatastic) away from the cake as it cooled. His knack for stealing birthday cakes, no matter how well hidden or how high up they are stored, has made him infamous in our house. Thankfully, his super powers failed him today and his "I Steal Birthday Cakes' tiara of shame' has stayed in the drawer this time and the cake has remained unharmed, ready for the Birthday Boy ... Although, I'm still going to name and shame Captain Twatastic with a his photo again, because I've still not forgiven him for stealing a layer of my birthday cake last year as it sat waiting to be assembled!!

The Recipe

Ingredients

Cake

• 250g unsalted butter

• 250g golden caster sugar

• 250g self raising flour

• 250g ground almonds

• 5 medium eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp almond extract

• 10 glace cherries, halved and sprinkled in flour

  
  

Filling

• 200g black cherry conserve

Buttercream & Decoration

• 150 g unsalted butter

• 300 g icing sugar

• 1 tsp almond extract

• Glacé cherries

  
  

Method

Cake

• Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4 - grease and line two 8”/20cm cake tins with parchment paper.

• Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

• Add in the flour, ground almonds, vanilla extract, almond extract and eggs and beat again until combined.

• Gently fold through the flour dusted glace cherry halves.

• Split the mixture evenly between the two tins, and bake.

• Bake the cakes for about 30-40 minutes. The cake is cooked when a test skewer comes out clean)

• Let the cakes cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, and then let them cool fully on a wire rack. 

Buttercream

• Beat the butter on it’s own for about 5 minutes to make it nice and smooth.

• Add in the icing sugar a half at a time, beating in fully both times.

• Add in the almond extract and beat again until smooth.

Decoration

• Spread half of the buttercream to the top of the first sponge, and add on the jam. 

• Add on the second sponge, and spread the rest of the buttercream on top.

• Sprinkle over some flaked almonds, add on an extra drizzle of jam if you fancy, and some glacé cherries.