Dorset apple cake
bake | winter
A classic British apple cake with a cup of tea on a cool autumn day is hard to beat. This simple recipe is full of warming spices and tangy apple, dusted with crunchy demerara sugar.
Prep < 30 mins
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 8–10
Ingredients
150g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
75g caster sugar
75g soft light brown sugar
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine salt, plus a pinch
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 free-range eggs
175g plain flour
35g wholemeal flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)
2 tsp baking powder
2 medium Bramley apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
1 tbsp cornflour
15g demerara sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm/8in cake tin with baking paper.
- Beat the butter, caster sugar, light brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix the flours, baking powder and a pinch of salt together in a separate bowl, then gradually mix into the butter, sugar and egg mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon, stirring well to make sure there are no pockets of flour.
- Mix the apple pieces together with the cornflour until well coated, then combine with the cake mixture.
- Tip the cake mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin before serving with a cup of tea or a drizzle of cream.
Note: add a handful of chia seeds (or poppy seeds) and perhaps a few sultanas.