It is said that marzipan is a bit like Marmite in that you either love it or hate it. I absolutely adore it and hence this cake, which comprises a thick layer of the stuff in the middle. This is the reason for the “sticky” in the title. Cakes made with ground almonds tend to be deliciously moist anyway, but the addition of marzipan takes it to a whole new level. I made this cake for my book club last week and received compliments and requests for the recipe. Even my husband, who normally doesn’t like marzipan, loved it.

This cake can also be seen as relief from the relentless EU referendum debate. At last the day has finally arrived and all we can do is cast our votes and wait for the result. In a conversation with a Twitter mate, the other day, we bemoaned how nasty conversations had become, with people who normally share similar political outlooks finding themselves on opposite sides. She and I decided we’d change the subject and discuss recipes instead, and that is how I’ve come to be writing about this cake. So, @soyoprincess, this is for you.

Sticky Almond Cake

Ingredients

• 225g butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 50g plain flour
• 150g ground almonds
• 350g marzipan (white, preferably)

Method

• Grease and base-line (with bake-o-glide or parchment) a 23cm springform cake tin
• Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and ground almonds in a bowl and beat until thoroughly mixed.  I did this in my KitchenAid mixer but an electric hand whisk will also do the job
• Roll out the marzipan to the size of your cake tin and using the tin as template, cut in a circle
• Place half the mixture in the tin and top with the marzipan, then cover with the remaining mixture
• Bake in the baking oven, or conventional at 180ºC. Start to check it at 45 minutes and cover with foil or parchment if necessary. It’s ready when it’s firm to touch. Sorry to be vague but this can take an hour or as long as an hour and a quarter
• Cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove to a rack
• Dust with icing sugar before serving
• This cake keeps for several days; in fact, it improves with age