Dorset Apple Cake

A lovely cake to use up windfall apples. They should be on the sour side, and ones that keep their shape well when cooked. If you don't know, pop a couple of slices into a small pan with a little water and cook for a few minutes. If they're starting to go mushy, don't use them for this cake.

When you are preparing your apples, once you have peeled them, put them in a deep pot, and cover with water with a little lemon juice - or they'll go brown, which is not exactly the look you want in the cake!

Ingredients

8 oz self raising flour

2 tsp cinnamon (or more if you like the taste a lot!)

4 oz butter, diced and chilled

4 oz soft light brown sugar

1 large egg, beaten

6-6 tbsp milk

9 oz apples - this is the weight AFTER peeling and coring

3 oz sultanas

A few chopped nuts (optional)

2 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 160 C Fan. Grease and line an 8" / 20 cm round tin. Peel and core your apples and set aside.

2 Mix the flour and cinnamon.

3 Rub in the butter. See my post about Shortcrust Pastry for hints on

rubbing in .

4 Add the soft brown sugar and mix well.

5 Stir in the egg and milk and mix to combine

6 Remove the apples from the water and dry them. Dice half of them, and

coarsely grate the other half.

7 Add the apples, the sultanas and the nuts (if using) to the mix

and give it a good stir.

8 Tip the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle the demerara sugar on the top.

9 Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, testing for done-ness after 30 minutes.

10 When ready, take out of the oven and leave in the tin for 15 minutes to

cool, and then turn out onto a wire rack and leave till cold.