Bakewell Cake…

While in England hubs and I would eat lunch, our later than usual break of a fast, around 1pm or 2pm.  Late I know but we had usually eaten dinner the evening before with the sunset, about ten at night.

By the time we had eaten our bowl of fruit and oatmeal or yogurt and started on our second cup of coffee, we discovered ourselves to be hungrier than we at first thought, so the healthy beginnings were thrown to the winds and treats were brought out of the pantry.  Digestive chocolate biscuits, hobnobs or, when we had them, a delicious bakewell tart or two courtesy of Mr. Kipling.

Back in America the fresh fruit and yogurt regimen continued but with no sweet treat afterwards.  Chocolate digestives are just not on normal everyday grocery shelves.  Because of this limited access to all things we had grown to love and expect in England  snacks and treats have been missing from our pantry cupboard, which is good for our figures since we tend to ride in a car here instead of walking everywhere.

The craving for a Bakewell got the better of me this weekend however and I went on line for a recipe, desperate enough to  make my own.

I came upon The Caked Crusader where this fabulous cake version of the classic Bakewell, borrowed from Rosie on another site I must add, drew my attention.

I knew how to bake cakes, I wasn’t so confident about the tarts so decided to start with this adaptation on a Bakewell theme.

This site is English and allowed to modify and take liberties with English culinary classics.

Hubs and I went shopping with our mouths watering.

We had to go to Whole Foods to find almond flour, ended up using meal which gave it a nutty texture.  I snagged a bottle of cherries and some un-roasted sliced almonds and was all set.

I made the cake and used 9 inch instead of 8 inch tins, silly me I thought at the time, but “no worries” I discovered when I tasted the end result.

Next time I will make double the batter, use more almond essence or a better brand and hubs thinks a lime marmalade will wow the taste!

I have to admit I was worried about the fondant icing.  I saw the ingredients and recognised them to be the same as my mother used to make her hard icing for her Madieras and Victoria sponges.  I wanted it soft and gooey like the icing on top of Mr. Kipling’s bakewell tarts.

As instructed however, I found that beating the icing sugar and lemon juice together was the trick, not just a casual blending of sugar and water.   The icing with the cherries on top was perfect and the toasted almonds were heaven.

Here’s a picture of the two slices we shared after mass on Sunday outside with our cups of coffee.

BakewellCake

Blissful.

A little bit of England lassoed in our Texas back forty.

Thanks to The Caked Crusader and Rosie!

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