Cherry Bakewell traybake

Make the base. Put the plain flour into a large bowl with 125g cold and cubed butter. Use your fingertips to rub them together until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 3-5 tbsp cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, stirring well with a round-bladed knife after each addition until the mixture begins to clump together. Squeeze into a ball.

Lightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry into a rectangle large enough to line the base and sides of a 23x33x3cm baking tin Press in the pastry, making sure there are no holes. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, then line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice or lentils). Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and baking beans and bake for 5 minutes more, until pale golden.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Beat together 200g butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the ground almonds, self-raising flour, baking powder and almond extract before giving everything a final beat until smooth.

Turn the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Spread the jam over the pastry base in an even layer, then top with dollops of cake mixture and spread out with a palette knife. Don’t worry if the cake mixture doesn’t completely cover the sides of the pastry. It will amalgamate in the oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake is risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Run a palette knife around the edge to stop any of the sponge from sticking, then cool completely in the tin.

Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice and 2-3 tbsp cold water to make a thick icing. Don’t be tempted to make it too runny – you want it to set as a thick opaque layer. Invert the cooled cake onto a board, then turn the right way up and spread with the icing.

Space the cherries evenly on top, allowing for 1 cherry per slice when cut into 20 pieces later. Sprinkle with flaked almonds, then leave to set for at least 30 minutes before cutting.