For all my gluten free friends, a delicious way to use up your strawberries this summer season. Ever better served with some whipped cream or ice cream for dessert. The amaretto syrup is optional of course, but makes this cake a little more "festive" shall we say.
For those who are not GF but still want to enjoy a lovely summery afternoon tea cake, this will do the trick! This is a light an airy sponge due to the fact its made with eggs and no butter, so you don't feel too guilty after eating it! The almonds add the perfect nutty crunch and fresh strawberries bring it all together to make it the perfect Sunday treat.
Cake
1 punnet strawberries
6 eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
350g ground almonds
1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
Amaretto Syrup
30ml amaretto or other almond liqueur
30ml water
1/2 cup caster sugar
To Decorate
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Icing sugar
Serve with more strawberries and whipped cream or ice cream
Preheat oven to 170°. Line a deep 25cm cake tin with baking paper (on the bottom and sides).
Blend first punnet of strawberries in a blender or food processor. Alternatively mash really well with a fork. Do not add water to the blender to help them, this will make the cake batter too runny.
Separate eggs into two separate bowls. To separate an egg, crack the egg and lift the top half of the shell off. Transfer the yolk between the shells over a bowl to release the egg white, then dump the yolk into a separate bowl. Don't worry if you get a little yolk in the whites as we're not making a meringue so it will still work.
Add sugar to bowl with egg yolks and use a whisk to beat until pale, about 2 minutes. Add the ground almonds, strawberry pulp, almond/vanilla extract and salt and use a spatula to fold together and combine. Set aside.
Use electric beaters or a whisk to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Transfer half the egg whites to the cake mixture and fold in with a spatula - take your time to maintain the fluffy egg whites. Repeat with remaining egg whites.
Transfer mixture to prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Due to the nature of the eggs, this cake will sink a little after baking - so don't fret when this happens.
Meanwhile make the syrup. Place all syrup ingredients in a small pot on medium heat and heat for 2-3 minutes, until sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
If you'd like to toast your almonds for decorating, do this now by tossing in a dry fry-pan for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.
Once cake has cooked, pour syrup over immediately. Then allow cake to cool completely before decorating.
Once cake is cool, transfer to a serving plate, top with the sliced almonds and sprinkle over icing sugar. Serve with more strawberries and whipped cream.