Bake of the Week: Portuguese almond cake

We love this Portuguese recipe as it’s full of flavour and an easy bake.

The addition of ground almonds keeps the texture light and moist and you’ll definitely want more than one square!

The recipe is from Milly’s Real Food by Nicola “Milly” Millbank (published by HQ, HarperCollins, £20).

Milly spent a lot of time abroad as a child and this is her take on Portugal’s almond cake.

100g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

100g self-raising flour, sifted

200g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

100g ground almonds

1 tsp almond essence

1 tbsp brandy

For the buttercream –

100g unsalted butter

3 tsp soured cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

1 tsp almond essence

150g icing sugar

flaked almonds, toasted

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

Grease a 20cm cake tin with butter and then dust with flour until it’s fully coated.

Cut a strip of greaseproof paper and line the tin with the strip going across the middle. This helps lift the sponge from the tin once cooked.

Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the eggs, beating well with each addition.

Fold in the flour and ground almonds and add the almond essence and the brandy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow the cake to sit in its tin for five minutes before turning out on to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.