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Gluten free cherry loaf cake has been on my recipe to-do list for some time. So, not only is it good to be able to share this lovely simple, truly scrumptious, gluten free cherry-almond loaf cake recipe with you (original recipe is by Nigella Lawson and features in her book How To Be A Domestic Goddess), but it also means, I can now tick it off my forever growing, to-do list!
I was divided between working with Nigella’s cherry-almond loaf and Delia Smith’s cherry cake recipe. What swung it for me, is that Nigella suggests baking the cake in a loaf tin. Whereas Delia suggests a square tin, and my vision of cherry cake has always been loaf shaped. Plus, occasionally I like to butter a slice, which would be tricky if the cake were cut into squares. I did however grab Delia’s rather wonderful suggestion about sprinkling Demerara sugar over the cake before baking!
I’m a big fan of simple cakes such as this cherry-almond loaf. I love the ease of using everyday ingredients, and will NEVER cease to be amazed, that when mixed together and baked they magically transform into much deliciousness.
This cake is old school baking at its very best and the winning flavour/texture combination of glacé cherries and ground almonds makes this such a glorious and extremely delicious bake! Oh yes, and I’m rather thrilled with myself that the cherries didn’t take a nose dive to the bottom of the cake, which can so often happen, even in traditional baking.
Ingredients
200g *glace cherries
250g gluten free self-raising flour plus an additional dessertspoonful to coat the cherry halves (add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum if this or guar gum is not already added to the flour)
225g softened unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons *almond extract
100g *ground almonds
3 tablespoons milk (I used semi-skimmed)
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar to sprinkle over the cake before baking
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4/160C Fan.
Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
Rinse the cherries well. I did this by popping them into a bowl and pouring over some boiling water from the kettle. I left them for for a minute before tipping them into a colander and rinsing well under cold water and then patted them dry with clean kitchen paper.
Halve the cherries and toss in gluten free flour.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. This can be done by hand, but for ease I highly recommend using an electric mixer.
Gradually add the beaten egg, mixing between each addition. Don’t worry if the mixture curdles a little – mine did. Next, add the almond extract.
Sift in the gluten free flour, add the ground almonds and gently fold into the mixture, before stirring in the milk.
Add ¾ of the cherries and stir to evenly distribute.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin, then gently push the remaining cherries into the top of the cake so they are almost, but not completely submerged into the cake.
Sprinkle Demerara sugar over the top of the cake, before transferring it into your preheated oven.
Bake for 55 minutes to 1hr, or until a skewer or sharp knife comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while before turning out.
Leave to cool completely before grabbing a slice… enjoy!
Recipe notes:
This glorious cake is at it’s best on the day it’s made, however it will keep really well in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen.
If you can’t get your hands on gluten free self-raising flour, then gf plain flour can be used instead. Just add a heaped teaspoon of gluten free baking powder and xanthan gum if this or guar gum not already added.
Thanks for taking the time to check out this gluten free cherry-almond loaf cake. Hope I’ve covered everything, do give me a shout if anything isn’t quite clear.
And again, credit and thanks to Nigella Lawson for the original recipe, that I adapted to make gluten free.
For now,
Liz x
P.S. If the flavours in this cake are your thing, I really do think you’ll LOVE this berry and marzipan loaf cake too!
*Check this product to ensure that there are no gluten containing ingredients or ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable’ warnings on the pack.
