Frangipane Cake with Cherries and Clotted Cream
Just before Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive a press copy of A Taste of Home, a new cookbook by Olivier Troalen. As the proprietor of the acclaimed French restaurant La Boheme in Cheshire, Olivier has an established reputation for bringing a delicious taste of France to Britain. In his latest cookbook, which was a successful crowdfund project, Olivier returns to his roots and shares many homely recipes inspired by his childhood memories of the South of France, his mother’s kitchen and his time in Paris. Olivier insists that ‘making great food is not about overly fussy dishes or self-indulgent decoration on your plate. It’s about great ingredients, working together to create exquisite flavours that are simply wonderful to eat.’
In A Taste of Home, Olivier offers recipes for the home-cook, and I find his dishes reassuringly easy to follow, as well as incredibly tasty. Over Christmas, I made his Crab and Gruyere Croissants, perfect for an indulgent holiday lunch, and for today’s ‘Tea Reads’ episode on YouTube, Olivier very kindly let me share his recipe for Frangipane Cake with Cherries and Clotted Cream. You can pop over to my channel to watch Mum and me make the cake, but I’ve also provided the recipe below.
BAR DE FRANGIPANE AUX CERISES
(Frangipane with Cherries and Clotted Cream)
Serves 6
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Ingredients
200g soft unsalted butter, cut into cubes
200g caster sugar
200g ground almonds
4 eggs
½ dessertspoon vanilla extract
1 dessertspoon almond essence
4 dessertspoons dark rum
30g plain flour
A handful of flaked almonds
To serve
1 tin or jar of black cherries in syrup or, preferably, kirsch
250g clotted cream
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas 4. Line a 30cm x 20cm baking tray with baking parchment, leaving some hanging over the sides.
To make the frangipane filling, simply place the caster sugar, butter, ground almonds, rum and vanilla and almond essences in an electric mixer and whisk until the mix becomes creamy and smooth. Slow down the speed of the mixer to add the eggs, one by one, adding a dessertspoon of flour after the first one to stop the mixture from 'splitting,' followed by the rest of the flour.
Pour the mix into the prepared oven dish, sprinkle some flaked almonds on top, and place it in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool, covering with cling film after 10 minutes to stop it drying out. When ready to serve, release the frangipane from the tray by placing a chopping board on top and quickly (and carefully) turning it over.
To prepare the frangipane for serving, lift off the dish and remove the greaseproof paper. Trim the edges to make a neat rectangle and then cut into pieces to make several smaller rectangles. Serve the frangipane slices on plates, with some black cherries and a generous spoonful of clotted cream on the side. Dip your spoon in boiling water to allow you to shape the spoonfuls neatly. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy the beautiful flavours with a glass of chilled sweet white wine.
This frangipane cake is mouthwateringly good and so simple to make! I was delighted with how it turned out, and I know I’ll be baking it again and again. Even though the recipe is easy, the combination of flavours (almonds, rum, cherries and cream) and the moist, fragrant sponge, elevate this cake to something special. I plan to serve it as a dinner party dessert as soon as we’re able to host parties again!
Do let me know if you give the cake a go. And if you’re keen to try more of Olivier’s recipes, A Taste of Home is available to buy through Waterstones, Amazon or La Boheme.
Recipe and top image supplied by Olivier Troalen.
