This is an impressive looking, but very easy cake to make if you’re short on time or need to make something quick for a bake sale. It uses frozen berries, rather than fresh (but this would also work with fresh berries if you have them). If you use fresh berries rather than frozen (which tend to be slightly sweeter), then use 50g more sugar in the cake to raise the sweetness level, or add 2 tbsp golden syrup to the berries before putting them in the tin. 

Ingredients

• butter 200g
• golden caster sugar 150g
• eggs 4
• self-raising flour 225g
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ground almonds 25g
• frozen mixed berries 200g, defrosted

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4. Line a deep 20cm spring-form cake tin with paper and grease it. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and then fold in the flour and almonds. Fold in enough water to make the mixture spoonable.
2. Drain any excess juice off the berries and tip them into the base of the tin. Spoon the cake mixture on top. Bake for 1 hour or until the cake is cooked through. Cool the cake in the tin, turn out and remove the paper.