Every year we find ourselves faced with a glut of blackcurrants from the garden which nobody quite knows what to do with. Thankfully, this year I have found a solution in the form of this cake.

An oh-so-soft friand-type base, a sharp – but not too sharp – blackcurrant layer and a buttery, chewy crumble topping to finish.

I think this might just be one of my favourite creations to date.

Of course, don’t feel limited to blackcurrants. I am sure this recipe would also work a treat with blueberries, blackberries and all kinds of other berries.

Ingredients

 For the blackcurrant sauce

160g blackcurrants

30g sugar

For the crumble mixture 

60g plain flour

35g salted butter

15g sugar

For the cake batter

50g plain flour

80g ground almonds

160g icing sugar, sifted

90g unsalted butter, melted

3 egg whites

Makes about 12 slices, depending on how big you cut them.

Method

First of all, collect your blackcurrants!

We are lucky enough to have an abundance of currant bushes in our garden, but you can find them in green grocers and some large supermarkets.

Make sure you give the blackcurrants a thorough wash.

Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.

Next, grease and line a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin.

Add the blackcurrants to a saucepan along with two tablespoons of water.

Put onto a low heat with the lid on and leave for 5-6 minutes until the mixture has become syrupy.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Try it at this stage (but be careful, it will be hot!) and add more sugar if it needs it. I like my blackcurrant mixture to be quite sharp as it cuts the sweetness of the cake.

Once that’s ready, start making the crumble topping.

In a bowl, rub together the butter and the flour until…

…it resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar.

Now you are ready to make the cake!

Add the flour to a bowl.

Then the ground almonds.

Followed by the icing sugar.

Then the egg whites.

And finally the melted butter.

Give it all a good whisk.

Until it looks like this.

Pour into the pre-prepared tin and drizzle over the blackcurrant sauce.

Then, sprinkle over the crumble mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden.

It is at its absolute best when it’s warm from the oven, but the cake will last a few days in an air tight container.

As a pud, serve with creme fraiche/ice-cream/freshly whipped cream.

Or enjoy it in all its glory with an afternoon cuppa.