Almond Cranberry Butter Cake

Yield: 1 x 14cm round cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs, room temperature

60g fine sugar

50g salted butter, softened

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

60g cake flour

1/3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sour cream or yoghurt 

1 tbsp cranberry bits

1 tbsp almond flakes, for decoration 

Directions:

1. Line a 14 cm round cake tin with parchment paper.

2. Mix cake flour and baking powder in a bowl using a hand whisk. Set aside.

3. Whip softened butter till it becomes pale yellow. Add in 2 egg yolks and 40g of the sugar to the butter. (remaining 20g sugar to be mixed with egg white later). Blend well.

4. Sieve the flour mixture into the batter in 3 portions. Add 1 tsp of sour cream to the batter after each flour addition. Alternating between flour and sour cream, and end with flour.

It's best to do this part using silicon spatula or hand whisk.

5. In a clean grease-free bowl, whip egg whites using an electric mixer for about 2 minutes at high speed. 

Add in the remaining 20g sugar and cream of tartar, beat at lower speed. When all the sugar is well incorporated to the egg whites, increase the mixer speed to high, and beat for about 2~3 minutes or till soft peaks formed.

6. Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius .

7. Pour 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter at (4) and mix well. Then follow by the remaining 2/3. 

I use a hand whisk to give the batter a few final stirs to break out the scattered egg white lumps.

8. Finally, add in the cranberry bits to the batter and mix well.

9.Pour  the batter into the cake mould lined with baking paper.

Lightly tap the cake mould to get rid of trapped air. 

10. Arranged the almond flakes on top of the batter.  Bake in an oven for 30 minutes at 170 degree Celsius, or till a clean skewer inserted and pull out clean.

11. Turn out the cake and let it cool on a rack. When cool, cut and serve :)