A love making cakes and in June, when the gooseberries are out, this cake from Diana Henry “How to Eat a Peach” cook book is one of my favourites . We have loads of gooseberry bushes in our garden but you have to be careful because the bushes have huge spikes, so it feels like a real challenge when you are hunting for your fruit !
To make most of my cakes I use a Magi Mix. I just chuck everything in and it mixes it up. My Magi Mix is one of the things I use daily and wouldn’t be without in the kitchen.

Method

• Preheat oven to 190°c and line a loose bottom cake tin with baking paper.
• Beat the the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs beating well after each one
• Slowly add the flour
• Bash the thyme in a mortar to release the fragrance then add to the mix .
• Add the ground almonds and the baking powder
• Toss the gooseberries in a little sugar
• Empty the mix in to the cake tin and then add the gooseberries on top
• Bake for 30mins

Syrup

• Heat the granulated sugar, lemon juice and thyme until the sugar has dissolved.
• Pierce the cake with askew all over and pour the syrup on top so it sinks into the cake .
• serve with some cream fraiche, yogurt or cream

Ingredients

• 350g Gooseberries , topped and tailed
• 125g unsalted butter
• 125g Caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 75g plan flour
• 2 teaspoons of chopped lemon thyme
• Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 75g ground almonds
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Syrup

• 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves