Ingredients

For The Cake

200g (8oz butter), well softened

200g (8oz) caster sugar

100g (4 oz) ground almonds

100g (4 oz) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons almond extract or essence

4 large eggs

For The Filling and Topping

1/3 jar of morello cherry or black cherry conserve

175g (6 oz) icing sugar

5-6 teaspoons water or lemon juice

2 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted

2 x 20cm (8 in) round sandwich tins, greased with butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4

2. Beat together all the cake ingredients until smooth. Divide the batter equally between tins and level the tops with a spatula. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. *Do not open the oven door until 25 minutes of baking to check the cake*.

3. Place the tins onto a wire rack to cool for five minutes before turning out to fully cool. Make sure the top of one of the cakes is facing up as you’ll want a smooth surface for the icing later on.

4. When cool, put one sponge on a serving plate, then spread with conserve/jam. Sandwich the second sponge on top.

5. Sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the water or lemon juice, then stir until smooth and thick. Spread evenly over the top and let it dribble over the sides.

6. Scatter with (toasted if preferred) flaked almonds on the icing and leave to set for a few minutes before cutting.