INGREDIENTS

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200g butter, softened

200g golden caster sugar

150g ground almonds

2 tsp almond extract

4 eggs, beaten

150g self-raising flour, sifted

8 tbsp raspberry conserve

 

For the buttercream icing:

 

400g icing sugar, sifted

200g butter, softened

1-2 tbsp milk

50g toasted flaked almonds, roughly chopped

For the top 175g icing sugar

Red food colouring

 

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METHOD

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1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan/gas 4 and grease and line the bases of two 20cm cake tins. To make the sponge, beat together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the ground almonds, extract and eggs and beat well. Beat in the flour until smooth.

 

2. Divide between the two tins and bake for 25 minutes, checking that they’re done by inserting a skewer that should come out clean. Allow to sit in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool.

 

3. Make the buttercream by beating together the icing sugar and butter, adding enough milk to give a spreading consistency. For the top, combine the icing sugar and around 1 tbsp water to make a thick but pourable icing. Set to one side.

 

4. To assemble, spread the jam over one of the sponges and place the other on top. Spread the sides with buttercream and press the almonds into the side. Place on a platter and drizzle with all but 1 tbsp of the icing.

 

5. Mix the remaining icing with the food colouring and swirl over the top of the icing. Drag through the swirls with a toothpick to create a marbled pattern. Allow to sit for 30 minutes for the icing to harden.