Baking for Beginners: Raspberry Frangipane Cake

This almondy French cake is moist, rich and naturally gluten free. But what I like best about it is that it's named after a man who invented perfume to scent Louis XIII's gloves. I mean, who needs perfume for their gloves? Well, apparently Louis XIII did, and Don Cesare Frangipani was the man to give it to him.

Frangipane is usually a type of pastry cream, and always made with ground almonds. I decided to make it into this fruity pud after eating a delicious raspberry frangipane tart in Chapters in Blackheath. They serve it with raspberry ice cream, but it's also lovely with creme fraiche.

Raspberry Frangipane Cake (serves 8)

You'll need:

• 200g butter, at room temperature
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 200g ground almonds
• 30g cornflour
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 16 raspberries

Make it!

• Grease and line a 20cm by 20cm (8 inch by 8 inch) tin. Preheat the oven to 180c / gas 4.
• Cream together the butter and sugar until it's pale and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Stir in the almonds, cornflour and zest.
• Pour the batter into the tin and spread it evenly with a palette knife. Push the raspberries into the batter. You can do this haphazardly or in a geekily uniform matrix like me.
• Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cake is cooked through.