Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Cake

A fail safe recipe that goes down a treat! Perfect for any dinner party, or as a sweet fix with a cup of tea. When I first acquired this recipe from a friend, I changed the quantities as it didn't need 6oz sugar or butter - feel free to add more sugar if you like it sweet though! It still tastes great and it's got just the right amount of sweetness which compliments the sourness of the lemon zest. This got demolished by 6 girls last night, so you might want to make two if you've got 10-12 people over. 

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

- 6oz ground almonds (I whizz them up in a blender for a few minutes as it's cheaper than buying them ground, and adds a crunch to the cake)

- 5oz butter

- 4 oz sugar

- 3 eggs

- zest of 2 lemons

- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder (or normal)

- a few drops of almond essence (this is essential!)

for the icing -

- 3oz icing sugar
- juice from half a lemon

1. Heat the oven to 170°c.  

2. Blitz the almonds if you're doing them yourself, until they resemble granulated sugar or thereabouts. * Try not to over blitz them or they might start turning into almond butter * Remove them from the blender and set aside.

3. Beat the butter and the sugar together in a bowl or food processor for a few minutes until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. * You may need a spatular to scrape down the sides occasionally *

4. Finally, spoon in the ground almonds, lemon zest, baking powder and essence to form a good cake consistency.

5. Pour the mixture into a smallish cake tin lined with parchment paper, and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until it is cooked right through.

5. When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and leave it to cool for around 10 minutes, before transferring it to a plate or cake tin. Make the icing while it is cooling and pour it over the cake while it is still warm. When the cake completely cools, you'll have a tangy, crispy and delicious topping to add extra moisture to the cake.

6. Top with pomegranate seeds or almonds whilst the icing is still wet.

* Serve hot or cold, on it's own or accompanied with yoghurt or ice cream *