Frangipane cake

A moist and tender golden sponge made with ground almonds and brown sugar, with a core and crown of almond frangipane and rippled with chunks of soft ripe pear.

This cake was inspired by a Simnel cake with its middle layer of marzipan, but is a more subtle iteration. I tend not to use almond extract in my frangipane as I find that it often has a very overpoweringly artificial taste, though you do get some high quality almond extracts that are more subtle and I recommend you use if you lean that way–I just didn’t have any on hand. I’ve added this ingredient as optional in the recipe. So, here the frangipane is more subtle, adding less of a flavour difference but instead adding the most beautiful, almost fudgy texture to the core of the cake, in addition to heaps of moisture and a brightness from lemon zest, and the frangipane baked on top transforms into a delicious, slightly chewy crust.

You could use whichever fruit you like here, swapping out the pears for apples, strawberries, blackberries, cherries–so many variations could work. Have fun with it, use your favourite or whatever is in season. The frangipane can be made up to two days in advance of baking–if doing so, allow to come to room temperature before using to make it easier to spread.