Iced bakewell traybake

I know from my site stats that bakewell recipes are always popular and this one looked particularly inviting. This photo explains it far better than I ever could :


Sad maybe, but this is what I did on Friday night!


For something with only two ingredients white icing is supremely delicious. It goes so well with the dense, rich almond sponge. Bakewells have so much to offer – pastry, jam, sponge, icing.....mmm bakewells.


The CCM (Caked Crusader’s Ma) and I were discussing the joy of traybakes recently. A square cut from a traybake is somehow more tempting and exciting than many other cakes. It can’t just be down to the shape can it? I wonder if it’s the fact that however many pieces you cut it always looks like there’s lots left! (NB. I know that, in the strictest application of laws of the universe etc, it can't be true...but it seems like it!)


I end with a plea: has anyone else had trouble with blogger during the past week? I've had lots of error messages when trying to upload photos - they all begin with a BX reference number, and when I have uploaded photos it won't let me click and drag them into position (i.e. scrolling down through my post); I have to move them down a screen at a time...which takes ages. Is it blogger or me? Any ideas? I know you're a clever bunch so throw myself on your mercy!

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
230g plain flour
160g unsalted butter
4 tablespoons icing sugar
2 egg yolks

For the cake:
6 tablespoons raspberry jam (I used seedless jam)
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
100g ground almond
100g self raising flour
1 teaspoon almond extract

For the icing:
300g icing sugar
20 glace cherries
25g toasted flaked almonds


How to make:
- Start by making the pastry: place all the ingredients except for the egg yolks into the food processor and blitz until you have breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolks and blitz again until the pastry just starts to form.
- Turn out onto a sheet of clingfilm and bring together into a ball of pastry.
- Flatten slightly, wrap in the clingfilm and chill.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
- Grease a deep tin measuring 30cm x 20cm. I used a small roasting tin .
- Roll the pastry out between two sheets of clingfilm then use to line the prepared tin. Don’t worry if you need to patch the pastry – it’s very good natured.
- Spoon the jam onto the pastry and spread out.
- Now make the cake: beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time adding 1 tablespoon of the ground almonds after each addition.
- Stir in the flour, remaining ground almonds and the almond extract.
- Spoon the mixture over the jam and level the surface.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the batter comes out clean. Mine took 42 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
- Now make the icing: beat the icing sugar with 3 tablespoons water (you may need more, but start with 3) until you have a thick but spreadable icing.
- Spread the icing over the top of the cake and place the glace cherries and flaked almonds on top before the icing sets.
- Cut into squares.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.