Blackberry and Almond Cake

• 225g (8 oz) soft butter or soft margarine
• 225g (8 oz) caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds
• 4 free range eggs
• 225g (8 oz) self raising flour
• 115g (4 oz) ground almonds
• 250g blackberries                                                           
• Flaked almonds for sprinkling over (about 25g (1 oz))

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla seeds, eggs, flour and almonds, beat together.

Place the mixture into an AGA 23cm spring form tin, lightly level the mixture. Sprinkle over the blackberries, then strew with flaked almonds.

2 oven AGA: Put the tin onto the oven grid shelf placed on the floor of the Roasting Oven and slide the cold plain shelf on the second runners down and bake for about 35 minutes or until risen and golden.

3, 4 and 5 oven AGA: Slide the tin onto the grid shelf placed on the floor of the Baking Oven and cook for about 40 minutes or until risen and golden.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out, cool completely and cut into pieces.

Rayburn cooking: Bake in the centre of the Main Oven at 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 for about 40 minutes.

Conventional cooking: Bake in the centre of the oven at 180°C (350°F), fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4 for about 40 minutes.

Dawn Roads, AGA Food Editor