Gooseberry and Marzipan Traybake!

This recipe takes a tart fruit and transforms it into a delicious sweet dessert, with a juicy, fruity layer on the bottom and cake on top.  It makes a lovely moist cake with a delicate almond flavour.

You need 1 traybake tin (20 x 30cm)

Ingredients  Makes 16 slices

300g butter at room-temperature
400g gooseberries
300g caster sugar
1 orange (zest only)
1 lemon (zest only)
3 eggs
200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
50g fine polenta
50 g ground almonds
100g marzipan, chopped into small pieces

• Heat oven to 160 Fan, Gas 4.  Line tin with grease-proof paper.

• Wash, top and tail the gooseberries.  Pop 2/3 into the bottom of the tin. Save 1/3 to decorate the top of the cake.

• In a large bowl, beat the butter sugar and zest until light and fluffy.

• Add the eggs and mix, one after the other, adding a spoon of flour with each egg. Add the rest of the flour, baking powder, salt, polenta and ground almonds. Mix until just combined.

• Add the chunks of marzipan and pour into the tray.   Press the reserved gooseberries into the top of the cake and bake for 45-50 minutes.

• It is ready when you can insert a skewer and it comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.

It is delicious hot or cold.  Serve as a sticky cake or cold with ice-cream or hot with custard....

Enjoy :)

This recipe is adapted from the BBC's Rhubarb, Marzipan and Citrus Cake