It’s been a bumper year for apples in my garden and the old Bramley Apple Tree is weighted down by the fruit There are lots of windfalls which means a constant battle between me and the dogs (who like to use them as balls) as to who gets to the best ones first!
This apple cake is an ideal one to use those windfalls up. It makes a wonderfully moist cake, spiced with cinnamon and has a crunchy top It’s a great pudding cake when served slightly warm with cream/custard/icecream but I confess I like it best as a plain slice with a cup of tea in the afternoon It’s comforting and very “moreish” and somehow makes me think of something your great-aunt would have served – an apron tied round her middle and bustling around making tea in her Brown Betty teapot (with a tea cosy of course!)
I have no idea why this particular cake is supposedly Irish. I’ve kept the name simply because I found the basic recipe in an old book of Irish recipes Since then I’ve tinkered with the ingredients until I got to this final version The only extra tip I would give you is that when you come to test whether the cake is done using a skewer is pretty useless as the slices of apple make the skewer come out clean regardless of the cakes “done-ness”. Rely instead on my timings and looking to see if the cake has come away slightly from the edges of the tin and is springy to the touch. It is a really easy cake to make and quick to assemble Keeps well for a few days too. A real winner in my house.
Ingredients (serves 8)
- 225g self raising flour
- 100g butter (plus more for greasing), dairy or plant
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3-4 apples, (cookers and eaters suit depending on what you have) peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 eggs (or egg replacement if vegan)
- 1 tbsp milk, dairy or plant
- 4 tbsp Demerara sugar
- 50g walnuts/pecans (optional), roughly chopped
Method
- Heat oven to 175c fan
- Butter a 20cm cake tin
- Rub the butter into the flour and cinnamon
- Add the sliced apples to bowl and stir, coating with the flour mixture
- Add the caster sugar
- Beat the egg and milk together and stir into apple mixture to form a thick batter
- Put apple cake mixture into the buttered cake tin and spread evenly
- Sprinkle over the Demerara sugar and chopped nuts
- Bake for 45mins until springy and cooked through
- Allow cake to cool in tin for 10 mins before turning out and allowing to cool completely.
Oh gosh Rosie– it’s mid afternoon here and I’d love a slice of this cake with tea!! When fall hits, I always think about baking and apples– so this is perfect!! Love the crunchy topping and the moistness from the apples. So how are you ding??! Is the season really turning there?? We are pretty much still in the depths of summer– but I’m hoping for fall weather– and apple cake! thanks thanks. xox