Bake of the Week: Blackberry Lemon Layer Cake

WE love this old-fashioned homestyle bake, which is perfect for your afternoon cuppa, or even served with custard.

The sugar added just before and after baking gives it a crunchy topping and means there’s no need for icing.

If you can’t find fresh blackberries, you can use frozen ones. You can also make it with raspberries.

Thanks to Berryworld for today’s bake.

You’ll need

350g plain flour

1tsp salt

1tbsp baking powder

175g butter or margarine

200g demerara sugar

2 free range eggs

200ml milk

Finely grated rind of 1 large lemon

350g blackberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.

Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs and then add 110g of sugar.

Beat together the eggs, milk and lemon rind (save a little for the topping), and then stir into the dry mixture until you have a thick batter.

Rinse and dry the blackberries on a paper towel, then halve any very large ones.

Pour half of the mixture into a lined and greased 15-17.5cm loose-bottomed tin. Sprinkle on half of the blackberries, the rest of the batter and some more blackberries and sugar.

Bake for about one hour until firm and golden. Dot with remaining fruit, lemon rind and sugar, and leave to cool in the tin.