Picking blackberries, like the berry itself, is bittersweet. Right now, it’s the height of summer, but by the time of the last of the berries, night will be longer than day, and the leaves will be falling to a bed of swirling fire.
Alongside the blackberries, in the hedgerows, the first elderberries are ripening to a pearlescent black. Both berries can be found along pretty much any path or track right now, making these cakes both seasonal and forageable. The cakes would work with any berry, so use whatever you can forage for, or just scatter on your no.1 berry.
![BeFunky_image[16].jpg](https://theforkandtrowel.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/befunky_image162.jpg)
There’s no beating needed here, and with just 10 minutes baking, the result is light and crisp.
180g butter
50g flour
160g icing sugar
90g ground almonds
5 egg whites
a couple of handfuls of berries
Preheat the oven t 180C/c and melt the butter.
![BeFunky_image[18].jpg](https://theforkandtrowel.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/befunky_image18.jpg)
Pour the icing sugar, flour and almonds into a bowl.
Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until they form a light, floppy foam.
![BeFunky_image[20].jpg](https://theforkandtrowel.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/befunky_image20.jpg)
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, tip in the egg whites and butter and stir it all in. Then it’s ready to be poured into the muffin tins.
![BeFunky_image[2].jpg](https://theforkandtrowel.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/befunky_image2.jpg)
Sprinkle in three or four chopped blackberries into each cake and bake for 10-15 minutes.
![BeFunky_image[5].jpg](https://theforkandtrowel.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/befunky_image51.jpg?w=224&h=300)
The berries stain the sponge with the blood of late summer. The texture is like a good brownie- soft, fudgy centre and a crispy coat.
![BeFunky_image[12].jpg](https://theforkandtrowel.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/befunky_image12.jpg)
Forage, bake, eat.
Those almond cakes – made them yesterday, and then they – disappeared. Thanks.
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That’s the problem of bite sized cakes! Thank you 🙂 are you starting a similar blog?
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Karen lives in Canada so that looks like your first international reader! I think her blog header was started a long time ago but maybe one day she will blog. I think I may have a go t those cakes this week-end they look delirious.
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Starting a blog a New is Year’s resolution gone bad. Looking at others’ fine work is much less taxing! I got started on WordPress a couple of times, but ran into trouble and quit. I study other blogs for format, content, and aesthetics – and think, “maybe . . .”. Yours is a model – thanks!
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Yummy! I wonder if raspberries would work. May try today! Thank you for sharing.
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I actually tried it with raspberries last week! Do it!
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Going to plot today to collect some raspberries! Which flour did you use?
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