Serves: 12, Calories: 455

Ingredients

Cake:

• 200g butter, softened.   1502
• 150g self raising flour, sifted.   502
• 50g ground almonds.   320
• 200g caster sugar.   800
• 4 eggs.   300
• 2 tsp almond essence (or 1 tsp extract)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp milk.   60
• 100ml sour cream (optional).   187

Filling/Topping:

• 100g butter (125g), softened.   751
• 140g icing sugar (175g), sifted.   560
• 1 tsp almond essence, (or ½ tsp extract)
• 2-3 tsp milk (optional - use if piping).   30
• 150g strawberry jam.   378
• 10g flaked almonds.   64

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
2. Grease and line 2x 8" sandwich tins.
3. Cake: In large mixing bowl; Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add 2 tbsp flour with last egg.
4. Optional: Whisk in sour cream.
5. Fold in remaining flour, ground almonds and baking powder with 2 tbsp milk. Divide between tins.
6. Bake for 20-25 mins.
7. Remove from tins after 10 mins cooling.
8. Filling: Spread jam on one cake. Sandwich both cakes together.
9. Topping: In large Pyrex bowl; Cream butter, icing sugar and almond essence, with a fork. Whisk in dash of milk if necessary. Spread over top of cake.
10. Scatter with flaked almonds.

Calories = 5454

• 5454 / 12 = 455

Tip: Sour cream increases life of cake from 3 days to 5.