Cake
- 200g ground almonds
- 60g plain flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 150g caster sugar
- 120ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g Picota cherries, washed, pitted and halved
Almond, Olive Oil & Picota Cherry Cake
Georgia Marshall
23rd September 2026
Almond, Olive Oil & Picota Cherry Cake
120 min
Simple but delicious, written by Omar Allibhoy
Ingredients
Poached Picotas
- 200g picota cherries, washed and pitted (leave whole)
- 80g caster sugar
- 25ml water
To serve
- Clotted cream
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.
In a bowl, combine the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt.
In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 1–2 minutes until lighter and slightly thickened.
Whisk in the olive oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the halved cherries.
Pour into the tin and level the top. Bake for 50 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine). Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then cool fully on a rack.
Put the sugar and water in a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the whole pitted cherries. Simmer for 2–3 minutes—just enough to soften slightly and turn glossy. Take off the heat and let them sit in the syrup for 5 minutes. Cool.
Slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of clotted cream and a few poached Picotas with a little syrup over the top.
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