Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake

Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake (0019) by MeetaK   

Could it be that summer’s moved on? And the way it goes you can’t tag a long. I want to though. Tag along with the fresh strawberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, zucchini, plums and blueberries. Play hide and seek with the summer sun, peeking out of the fluffy cotton clouds and refresh myself in a warm summer rain. Instead we’ve had a lot of days where I’ve noticed a slight chill in the air and quite a bit of cold rain.  

While I do know that summer has not entirely left us, it’s the beginning of Soeren’s new school year that usually signalizes soon we’ll be packing away the hammock, flip flops, shorts and summer dresses. There won’t be spontaneous bike trips to the wild blueberry patch down by the stream or to the strawberry farm, where we eat more than we can carry home. Soon the deep rich dark greens of the landscape around us will give way to the yellows, oranges and browns of Autumn.

Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake (0003) by MeetaK

After eight and a half weeks, Soeren will be back at school next week again. This time as a very proud third grader. He’s getting excited and to tell you the truth I am holding my breath too.

Do you know the energy little boys have? Are they all like this? Or did he inherit my powerhouse gene? Or am I getting old and can’t keep up?

We’ve been busy with all kinds of activities and although he spends most of the day at day care, playing soccer and going on field trips, he just does not seem to be exhausted enough. So, it’s bike rides, swimming and roller blading for us in the afternoons. I am certainly not complaining - it’s keeping me in shape too. 

Berlin2010 (0027) by MeetaK

Weekends in the summer are spent on spontaneous trips to the capital. Berlin is always worth a visit - time and time again! Every time we are in Berlin we discover something new - a new restaurant and new exhibition or simply spend an afternoon at the Ritter Sport Shop making our own chocolate creation, which lights up the eyes of the son and his mother to extreme extents.

Ritter Sport Creation (0006) by MeetaKRitter Sport (0007) by MeetaKBerlin201 (0020) MeetaK

Other weekends are spent lazing in the hammock listening to music while the kids play soccer and simply run wild through the neighborhood. However, the weekends that I like the most are when friends come over and time seems to stand still. We talk, debate, laugh and make plans without a care in the world. We sit outside in our yard and enjoy the warmth around us. It’s summer and the pace is generally slow and relaxed. There’s cake, berries in deep reds and tingling iced tea.

Do you see why I have trouble letting summer go?

Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake (0008) by MeetaK

This cake is perfect for such occasions. With luscious red raspberries and a zest of lemon, it fits beautifully on the weekend tea-time table. My favorite part of the cake is the crunchy amaretti biscuits that are not only crumbled like streusel on top of the cake but also worked into the batter. The biscuits give a wonderful almond flavor to the cake, which complements the ground almond I added to the batter.

Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake

Printable version of recipe here

Ingredients

140g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
85g ground almonds
175g butter, softened
175g Muscovado sugar
3 eggs
140g Amaretti biscuits, coarsely crushed
zest of 2 lemons
250g fresh raspberries
Icing sugar to dust

 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Butter a 20cm spring form and line with baking paper.

  2. Place softened butter, Muscovado sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, lemon zest and ground almonds into a large bowl. With an electric hand whisk beat until all the ingredients are incorporated.

  3. Divide the cake batter into two and spread one half in the lined form. Scatter half of the amaretti biscuits over the batter then arrange about a third of the raspberries, gently pressing into the batter.

  4. Pour the remaining cake batter over the amaretti biscuits and raspberries and gently spread to even. Scatter the rest of the amaretti biscuits and raspberries over the top of the cake.

  5. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the form then run a knife round the edge and turn out. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.

  6. This tastes simply great with more fresh raspberries and a lightly whipped cream infused with some lemon zest.

Storing tip: The cake will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

 

 


Verdict

Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake (0012) by MeetaK

A bit of summer is trapped in this cake. Not only through the lovely deep red berries and sunny lemon flavors but also because it’s the kind of cake your friends will love to come around for over and over again. Being such an easy cake to make one can simply concentrate on having a great time instead of being in the kitchen. The lemony, fruity flavors paired with the subtle almond aroma brings out all the summer feeling one needs to hang on to. Try this with blackberries or even gooseberries for a totally different flavor high. 

More summer fresh cakes from WFLH:

Coconut Lemon Cake Dimpled Mirabelle Plum Foccacia with Lemon Poppy Seed Butter Raspberry Hazelnut Tea Cake

 


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2010 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

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37 comments:

  1. Honestly, this cake looks incredible. I'm bookmarking it now so I can give it a try. Now I just need to find (or make) good amaretti. And I must say, I love the chocolate bar picture!

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  2. The cake looks fabulous, and the flavors sound like a piece of heaven! Your pictures and story are wonderful- ahh summer:)

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  3. Beautiful cake and I love the combination of lemon, raspberries and the amarettis. Just the thing to have when the sistas come for tea!!

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  4. autumn did you say ? oh gosh, not yet, please. even though, summer sure seems far away with all the gray, gloomy, rainy days we've been having in zurich. if you don't mind, i'm going to skip past that gorgeous, tempting, summery cake above though - and go right to that humongous tower of ritter sport bars !! it is beyond me why i have been to berlin but didn't know about this place. i obviously need to get back there, and meet you and your men there. how fun !!

    also fun is thinking about you running around doing every sport and activity possible with that soon-to-be third grader of yours ! wow ! good luck soeren :) and lucky him if he did in fact get your powerhouse gene !! haha !

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  5. I can understand you very well... it is already quite chilly here in Hamburg and everywhere you can feel - autumn is waiting on the
    threshold.

    I like you pictures and that cake looks really promising :-)

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  6. You know! I have been wondering the same... But it's still warm here we are still getting gorgeous peaches from the farm. So perhaps, there is still time..

    Gorgeous cake! Love the photo of stacked chocolates.. LOL.. that must have been a sight!!!

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  7. I have been away for quite long & missed so many of your posts. Will be back reading all of them.
    Summer is at its peak here with with lots of colors and juicy goodness. I love Texas:-)

    A very beautiful cake indeed.

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  8. For the first time in my life I am wishing that Summer shouldn't end. I am so addicted to eating fresh produce. Cake looks pretty and inviting.

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  9. I love your beautiful cake, Meeta, and your Berlin photos made me smile and have such happy memories of my times exploring that amazing city. :-) I hope the last weeks of your summer are GORGEOUS. :-)

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  10. Ha, glad to see you made it to the Ritter Sport Café! Mental place! I just wish we could really eat those massive chocolate bars in the middle of the shop... I bet they're crappy styrophone inside!

    Beautiful pics as always! I really hope we get to catch up sometime soon!

    xx

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  11. What a great cake with some of my favorite flavors. Having had a few power outages and in the death grip of the summer heat quite a few nights this summer, I can't say I mind the coming cool weather. But I will miss all the gorgeous produce.

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  12. A wonderful cake indeed! I’m bookmarking to try it out very soon.
    I know about summer. We are still quite deep in the cold, and I cannot wait for summer to come near

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  13. That looks lovely. Beautiful photos! Love the photo of the huge stack of Ritter chocolate!

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  14. Is it mean of me that this post partly excites me because, if summer is leaving you, that means it's drawing closer to me (in Australia)? :P I've been taunted by summer produce for months now on Northern Hemisphere blogs, and I think I might burst if I'm not able to make this cake soon.

    I feel in love with Amaretti cookies while travelling in Italy earlier this year... can't wait to make this!

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  15. Oh yum! It looks wonderful and combines two of my favourite flavours.

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  16. oh, this cake looks absolutely delicious!

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  17. I too hiope the sunny weather is going to last here, but it is getting a bit chillier these days.
    Hi hi i think maybe he indeed have inherited your genes os beeing so active :-)
    I love the look of this cake, if i see good raspberries in the shop i am sure gonna maake them.

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  18. I love summer too...gorgeous berries...gorgeous fruits...cant let go of summer yet...ive been making cakes, brownies, crumbles with berries in it...but yeah it looks like we are done with summer here..:-(

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  19. Thanks everyone! Looks like everyone wants a bit out of the chocolate stack LOL!

    If ever in Berlin you must visit - it's a great place to hang out and have a great cafe too.

    Glad you are liking the flavors of the cake!

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  20. Absolutely gorgeous looking cake Meeta...it's screaming summer!! This is just the kind of thing I love about this season ... light, fun flavours! It's lovely!

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  21. Meeta, what a wonderful cake! I love all the flavors here - have never thought of adding amaretti cookies to a cake! :)
    As for Berlin, I absolutely loved it when I visited it in 2007 - fantastic places, delicious food and kind, polite people.

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  22. Lovely creation Meeta. Excellent clicks, you amze me with the presentation as always.

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  23. Meeta, love this post and I can relate to it. I LOVE summer. the long days, waking up to a bright day, getting back home from work and still been able to sit in the garden to read/eat until about 9 am at least without any artificial light coming into the equation..no heating..light dresses, sandals - my feet were born to wear sandals, all the summer activities, the summer fruit, all the berries and their vibrant colours. .. The second picture made me hold my breath. those raspberries are so vivid. what a wonderful combination of flavours. I also loved the pictures of the Ritter shop - the gigantic pile..great fun. must add it to my list next time I visit Berlin. Enjoy what is left of your summer. I wish I had a hammock in the back garden.; o )

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  24. Ah Meeta i had all the ingredients for the cake so had to make it as soon as i saw the post. Well i baked for almost 1 hr 45 minutes and still the centre wouldn't get done. i finally had to do a rescue action and just scoop out the uncooked centre and relish the rest:) this is such a simple cake wonder where i could have gone wrong:(

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  25. I just wish the summer would last forever, but right now the rain has started again, so it looks like it is over, at least for now. Your cake does feel a lot like summer! Gorgeous!

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  26. Summer moved on... oh, you're good ;-) I have a couple of lyrics to catch up, I think! Remember seeing the pics of this cake when I visited - absolutely glorious! And I love the shot of S by the HUGE stack of Ritter bars!

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  27. Oh I love that Ritter tower! and this cake looks so yummy!

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  28. FANTASTIC! I love the looks of this and as I read about it can almost smell it!

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  29. That cake is simply beautiful! Oh and a whole shop just for Ritter Sport ??? Gasp.

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  30. Honestly Meeta, you always make me drool with your amazing sweet treats! I love Ritter Sport chocolate!

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  31. Oh I love those cookies, what fun that you used them in a cake!

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  32. Ah, I love your summer and wish I could live one like that! But Autumn is my favorite season and a time of renewal. I love your photos and thus cake looks so delicious!

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  33. The raspberry and almond flavour combination would be beautiful in a cake like this!

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  34. mmmm looks so good! I think i may be drooling :D

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta