Monday, October 25, 2010

Cherry Speckled Lemon and Almond Bars

Cherry Speckled Lemon and Almond Bars. The name is very pretty, that's what I think when I first saw this recipe, there's no photo of this cake in the book. So I can only imagine it will look like speckled bits of cherries in the cake, very pretty indeed!  Do my cake looks like it has speckled bits of cherries?  Of course it does, the only thing is .....



.....I speckled it with dried cranberries instead! Did not have any dried cherries in my pantry. Have not seen any dried cherries being sold at the local bakery supplies stores before.  I am in the midst of clearing my pantry, so the last batch of cranberries goes into this cake.  This cake is not as moist as I expect it to be. It is not actually dry either, I think the amount of ground almonds plus the flour is maybe a little bit too much.  Or maybe when I reduce the sugar, it does have some affect on the moistness of this cake. The original amount of sugar is ridiculously at 500gm!



So conclusion : This is not a really bad cake actually, a little more moist to it would make it perfect! Perhaps extra butter can be added! But if you would like to give this a try, here's the recipe :

I'm sharing this at

Cherry Speckled Lemon and Almond Bars
(adapted from "brownies and bars" by Liz Franklin)
Makes 15
Preparation Time : 1 hour and 10 minutes
You will need a lightly buttered, deep roasting pan or cake tin measuring 20 x 30cm/8 x 12 inches

250gm/9 oz butter
500gm/1 lb 2 oz sugar ( I use 250gm)
4 eggs
200gm/7 oz self-raising flour
200gm/7 oz ground almonds
150gm/5 oz dried cherries
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp caster sugar, for sprinkling

Method :
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.  
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs a little at a time, stirring in between each addition, until the mixture is smooth and all the eggs are incorporated.
Stir in the flour and the ground almonds, and then add the dried cherries, lemon zest and lemon juice, mixing well.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin, sprinkle with caster sugar and then cut into bars.
Store in an airtight container.


18 comments:

  1. What a pretty cake, and the cranberry lemon combination would be good. Maybe you could make a simple syrup, poke the cake and pour on the syrup. The cake will absorb the syrup and have more moisture. Syrup cakes have been very popular in the past, they are good keepers. Have a great day!

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  2. What a great idea to use cranberries instead. Cherries are usually so expensive that I don't buy them, but I do buy cranberries. Plus, they would go so well with that lemon.

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  3. Super moist and spongy bars looks incredible..

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  4. So pretty, with the cranberry speckles! I think I would have reduced the sugar too- I'm sure it was fine. (Even better with a cup of tea!) Love your new blog background too. :)

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  5. I always substitute dried cranberries for dried cherries. Dried cherries aren't that easy to find whereas dried cranberries I can get at my regular grocery store. Your bars looks tasty and beautiful! I would have cut back on the sugar too - wow, that's a lot! Thank you so much for linking up to Cookbook Sundays!

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  6. Hi alison,
    Thank you!

    Hi Melynda,
    Yes, pouring a simple syrup over the cake to moisten it, is a great idea! Thank you!

    Hi Lisa,
    Is cherries expensive over there? I couldn't find any over here. I think that even if I do find it, it will cost a bomb!

    Hi Priya,
    Thank you!

    Hi scrambledhenfruit,
    Thank you!

    Hi Brenda,
    Thank you to you for hosting Cookbook Sunday. It's always a pleasure to be part of it!

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  7. I'm usually not a cherry fan, so I think cranberries would be perfect. And it really is a beautiful cake.

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  8. I love that name too...looks delicious :)

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  9. Super tempting ya!!! Loved to have that some now! :D

    Thanks for letting me know abt the event...will try my best! :D

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  10. This looks great to me and I have dried cherries in the refrigerator. Love the combo of ingredients!

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  11. All of the special flavors in this cake sound wonderful to me! And from your photos I would never guess that the cake was more on the "dry" side rather than the "moist" side.....you could've fooled me! :-)

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  12. Hi Elsa,
    Hi Magic of Spice,
    Hi Love2Cook,
    Hi Pam,
    Hi Avril,
    Thank you ladies! Have a nice day!

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  13. Lemon and almond is a lovely flavor combination! So good with a warm cup of tea!

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  14. Lovely recipes, nice to be here.

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  15. Love the idea of cherries, lemon and almond - and dried cranberries are a great substitute for dried cherries.
    Sue :-)

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  16. Your recipe says "round" almonds. Should it be "ground"?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it should be ground! Typo mistake! Thank you! I have corrected it.

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