by Nikki Walsh
This is such a special cake. Its wonderfully moist and really pops in your mouth. The texture and flavour of the cranberries and cherries are a match made in heaven. I love the chocolate and cream icing too, it sets perfectly and trickles down the edges like snow falling from a mountain.
Step by Step
(tick the boxes as you go)
- 1 Turn the oven on to 180c
- 2 Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
- 3 Add the flour, ground almonds and baking powder and mix in to the butter mixture.
- 4 In a separate bowl whisk the eggs to a foam.
- 5 Add the eggs, fold gently, add the milk, orange zest and juice and combine gently again.
- 6 Slice the cranberries and cherries in half and fold into the mixture.
- 7 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
- 8 Bake for 30-35 minutes in the oven. The cake should be cooked through, test with a cake tester. The mixture should come out clean but moist.
- 9 Allow to cool on a rack. When the cake is completely cool, remove from the tin.
- 10 For the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate with the cream in a pot on a low heat stirring all the time. Stir till smooth and remove from the heat. Allow to cool.
- 11 For the sparkling cranberries and cherries; Put 175g sugar and water in a pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 6/7 minutes gently.
- 12 Allow to cool and add the whole cranberries. Put in the fridge overnight.
- 13 Remove the berries from the syrup. Allow to stand for 15 minutes (to dry off a bit). Sprinkle the cranberries and grace cherries with the granulated sugar. Set aside till dressing the cake.
- 14 To assemble: Place the cake on your chosen plate. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the cake. Decorate the top with the sparkling cranberries. You can dot a few plain cranberries in places also to give a contrast. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Ingredients for cake
- 250g butter, softened
- 150g flour
- 250g sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- zest of 2 oranges
- Juice of 1 orange
- 50mls full fat milk
- 3 large eggs
- 100g ground almonds
- 50g cranberries
- 50g glace cherries
- Icing sugar
- Bundt cake tin, greased and lined (like the mould for jelly, but oven proof)
Chocolate sauce
- 125g good quality white chocolate
- 100ml Avonmore double cream
- A little extra white chocolate for garnish
Sparkling cranberries and cherries
- 175g sugar
- 75mls water
- 100g fresh cranberries
- 100g glace cherries
- 100g granulated sugar
You’ll need
- Cake tin
- Whisk