By: Rebecca Sullivan
This decadent cake topped with almond slivers will be sure to impress and delight your family
Ingredients
- 500g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 11/2 tablespoons mixed spice
- 200g unsalted butter, chopped
- 200g (1 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 300g marzipan
Directions
- Lightly grease and flour the side of a 20cm round tin. Line the base with baking paper and set aside. Sift the flour, soda and spice into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, making sure there are no lumps.
- Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Combine the zest, eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk with a fork to combine well. Add to the well in the dry ingredients then using a wooden spoon, stir until a dough forms; you will need to use your hands at the end.
- Form the dough into a disc then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm slightly. Cut the dough in half. Form each half into a disc then working with one piece at a time, roll each out on a lightly floured surface into a 21cm round.
- Place one round into the prepared tin to cover the base. Using your hands, flatten the marzipan into a round almost large enough to fit over the dough in the tin then place it over the dough, breaking and patching it as necessary to cover the dough. Don’t worry if it isn’t even.
- Place the remaining round of dough over the marzipan. Refrigerate for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170C. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven, brush lightly with the egg white (you won’t need all of it) and sprinkle over the almonds.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the almonds are light golden and a cake tester withdraws clean when inserted into the pastry. Cool in the tin then carefully invert onto a large plate. Invert onto another plate so the almonds are on the top then cut into wedges to serve. Spice cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 10 days. It is not suitable to freeze.
