Almond cake with red wine syrup and macerated strawberries

Cake

1 ¼ cups caster sugar
¾ cup plain flour
¼ cup Sunbeam almond meal
220g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs
Icing sugar, to dust
Thick cream to serve

Topping

500g Australian Grown strawberries, hulled, halved
125g caster sugar
350ml red wine
60 ml cold water
Peel of one lemon

Method

Topping

• Place the strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with the sugar, then pour the wine on the top. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
• When ready, drain the wine from the strawberries into a small pan with the lemon peel and 60ml cold water, and cook over high heat until reduced and syrupy. Allow to cool completely, then pour over the strawberries. Refrigerate until needed.

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease and line the base of a 28cm cake pan.
• Combine the sugar and almond meal in a food processor, then add the butter and process until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the flour and baking powder, scrape down sides of bowl, and pulse to combine well. Spread into the prepared pan and cover with foil.
• Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean)
• Remove the cake from the oven, leave it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Pour ¾ of the syrup over the cake.
• Pile the strawberries on top of the cake and pour the remaining syrup on top.
• Serve with thick cream.