Lemon & Almond Cake with a Limoncello Glaze - Christmas Cookalong

Apologies for the delay in posting the final recipe from the Christmas Cookalong epic - I've been a little bit distracted of late.  First there was the snow, which stranded me in my parents for almost a week, then there was a choir concert which took up my free time and then finally I ended up sick, which took away all my desire to blog.  Now the snow is back & I'm stranded at home, so it's a perfect time to post up this recipe.

Originally this was an Orange & Lemon Cake from Rachel Allen's Entertaining At Home book, which I was very kindly sent by Harper Collins recently.  As usual, I was missing a vital ingredient.. the oranges, and because of the snow, I had to make an emergency substitution to lemons, as I had some lovely unwaxed ones in my fridge.  I had planned to bring some of the cake into work to share with my colleagues, but it never left the house, as myself and The Hubs demolished it all over the weekend!  It's beautifully moist and the Limoncello glaze gave it an extra zing.  I made this cake in a bundt tin, but it doesn't rise hugely, so I'd recommend making it in a standard 8 inch cake tin instead.

Lemon & Almond Cake with a Limoncello Glaze

100g butter, softened
175g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
Juice & zest of 1 lemon
50g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
100g Ground Almonds

75g Icing Sugar
3 tbsp Limoncello *replace with lemon juice for a non-alcoholic version*

Preheat your oven to 180c / Gas Mark 4.  Grease your cake tin & line the base with baking paper

Cream the butter in a large bowl or a food processor until soft.  Now add the sugar & beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the lemon juice and finely grated lemon zest.

Finally, fold in the ground almonds, flour & baking powder.

Now pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin & bake for 30-40 minutes until golden.  Make sure you test that it's cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle - if it comes out clean, then the cake is ready.

Meanwhile, make the Limoncello glaze by heating the icing sugar & Limoncello gently together, stirring until completely dissolved.  Pour the glaze over the cooked cake & allow to cool before serving - either at room temperature or cold.