CHERRY BAKEWELL LOAF CAKE (WITH A KIRSCH KICK)

Anyone who knows me and has been reading my blog over the years will know there is one bake that holds a special place in my heart. The Bakewell! My tart has seen me through a couple of competitions and I love to try and incorporate that classic cherry almond flavor combination into other types of bakes. When I had a tub of glacé cherries in the fridge left over from baking my Christmas cakes I was instantly drawn back to the Bakewell and so began the birth of my Bakewell loaf cake with a grown up twist of a kirsch kick!


Don't have or don't like Kirsch? No problem; you can use another spirit such as Amaretto or brandy if you wish or if you don't want to use alcohol then you could just add the cherries in as they are but soaking them in the booze does give them a bit of extra plump moistness.

Other than that lets not change what I think is a perfect recipe. If you want another twist on the bakewell though have a look at my jam filled bakewell loaf by clicking here or why not go all out and just make yourself a bakewell tart by clicking here! For me; it's a tough decision deciding which one I like the most!

Kirsch Soaked Cherry Bakewell Loaf

250g Glacé Cherries

50ml Kirsch

225g Softened Butter

175g Golden Caster Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
250g Self Raising Flour

100g Ground Almonds

6 Tbsp Milk

Handfull Flaked Almonds

1. Begin by halving all the glacé cherries and then mixing them in a bowl with the kirsch and leaving to soak for at least 1 hour.
2. Whilst the cherries soak turn your oven up to 180 degrees (160 fan) and grease and line a 1lb loaf tin with grease proof paper.
3. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fully combined.
4. Add in the vanilla extract and beat into the mixture beforeadding in the flour and ground almonds and gently folding through the mixture until no streaks of flour are visible.
5. Spoon in the milk gradually, folding each addition carefully until well combined and the batter has loosened slightly. Toss the boozy cherries in a bit of flour so they are lightly coated and then pop them into the cake batter, gently folding them through until evenly distributed.
6. Spoon the batter into the loaf tin, level out the top and then carefully sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top making sure they don't overlap as much as possible. 
7. Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out nice and clean. Check the cake at around 35 minutes and if it's browning too quickly then cover it with some foil until baked.

Remove the loaf cake from the oven and leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, you can begin to slice off pieces of the delicious sponge and tuck in. The ground almonds in the sponge give it that classic Bakewell flavor especially when you combine it with the glacé cherries. Don't forget that boozy kirsch either, it totally gives this loaf cake a proper grown up edge whilst the flaked almonds on top of the cake should now be all toasted and add a satisfying crunch to each slice. Bakewell loaf cake with kirsch soaked cherries? Give me some of this bad boy any day of the week!