Cherry and almond tray bake recipe
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Key information
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves: 24 slices
Recipe difficulty rating: Medium
Allergens: Remember to provide a list of potential allergens for each item served at your Coffee Morning event so people can clearly see what ingredients they contain. You can use our cake labels, but make sure you write clearly in block capitals and black ink.
Ingredients
For the cake
300g butter
300g caster sugar
375g self raising flour
1 lemon, zest & juice
85g ground almonds
4 free range eggs, lightly beaten
25g marzipan, chilled & grated
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp whole milk
200g glacé cherries, quartered. Reserve 8 for decoration
Flaked toasted almonds
For the icing
Fondant icing sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Advice on ingredient substitutes
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Vegan
- Butter: Use a plant-based alternative.
- Eggs: You can use vegan alternatives like plain vegan yoghurt (1 heaped tbsp per egg), aquafaba (2 tbsp per egg, whipped for a minute), apple sauce (1/4 cup or 3tbsp per egg), mashed bananas (1/2 ripe banana per egg), flaxseed (1tbsp ground flaxseed with 3tbsp of water per egg), or a vegan egg replacement. The key with vegan egg replacements is making sure you get the rise, if the recipe calls for creaming butter and sugar together whip it until it is really light and fluffy and consider using self raising flour instead of plain.
- Marzipan: Most marzipan is naturally vegan. However, some marzipans may use egg whites for binding or ingredients like gelatin or non-vegan sweeteners. Check the ingredients, many vegan ones will be labelled as vegan.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is naturally vegan, but some brands may use animal products as a additives or stabilisers. Always check the ingredients and labels on the baking powder.
- Milk: Use a milk alternative like soy, almond, coconut or oat milk.
- Fondant icing: You could try a vegan alternative of fondant made with agar-agar powder instead of gelatin. Or alternatively you could decorate the tray bake with a vegan buttercream or vegan royal icing.
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Gluten free
- Self raising flour: Use a gluten free self raising flour alternative. These are usually available in the free from section in most supermarkets.
- Baking powder: Many baking powders are naturally gluten free. However, some brands make use starch as an extra ingredient. If the starch is made from corn, potato or rice it is gluten free. Check the ingredients to be sure.
- Glacé cherries: These are usually made from cherries and sugar syrup so are naturally gluten free. However, check the label to see if the brand has a warning about cross contamination at facilities that also handle gluten products.
How to prepare cherry and almond tray bake
- Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a square traybake tin, about 28 x 28cm, with baking parchment.
- Put all the cake ingredients (apart from the cherries) in a large mixing bowl or tabletop mixer and beat together until thoroughly combined.
- Toss the cherries in a little flour, then fold them into the cake mixture using a spatula.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 mins until the cake is golden brown, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
- To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then add the lemon juice and enough water to make a thick yet fluid icing. Spoon the remaining icing over the cooled cake – it should be liquid enough to level itself out; if not, use a palette knife to smooth it.
- Cut into squares and garnish with glace cherry quarters and toasted flaked almonds.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can you freeze a traybake?
Yes, you can freeze traybakes. You can either freeze the whole traybake wrapped in tin foil or slice it up and store the slices wrapped in cling film in an airtight container. It can last up to 2 months in the freezer. Then leave it to thaw at room temperature before serving.
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How long do traybakes stay fresh?Traybake can stay fresh for around 2 to 5 days. To keep them at their best, store them in a cool, dry place and in an airtight container.
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How to cut a traybake?
Here are some tips for cutting your traybake:
- Use a sharp knife
- Warm the knife
- Score the traybake first
- Cut in long strips first
- Wipe the knife between cuts.
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Can I do a traybake in a roasting tin?Yes, you can use a roasting tin to make a traybake. It is better to use a traybake with straight sides. It can also be helpful to use baking paper to line the roasting tin.
