Dorset apple cake
With a crunchy demerara sugar topping and soft, lightly spiced dense sponge, this apple cake is easy to make and will last for up to five days in the fridge
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 10 persons
Ingredients
- 90g blanched hazelnuts , lightly toasted
- 170g butter , room temperature, plus extra for the tin
- 170g soft light brown sugar
- 2free-range eggs , lightly beaten
- 100g plain flour
- 2tsp baking powder
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp mixed spice
- ¼tsp ground cloves
- 2lemons , zested
- 3Bramley apples , peeled, cored and cut into 1 cm chunks (roughly 450g prepared weight)
- 2tbsp cornflour
- 2tbsp demerara sugar
- double cream , to serve
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper.Step 2
Tip 70g of the hazelnuts into a high-powered blender and whizz until they resemble a sandy consistency. Roughly chop the remaining 20g.Step 3
Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the eggs, adding a tablespoon of the flour halfway through to prevent the mixture from splitting.Step 4
Sift in the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, 1 tsp of cinnamon, mixed spice, ground cloves and lemon zest, then briefly whisk until fully combined. Toss the apple in the cornflour and remaining 1 tsp of cinnamon, then fold through the batter until evenly distributed.Step 5
Tip into the cake tin, smooth the top with the back of a spoon and sprinkle with demerara sugar and the roughly chopped hazelnuts. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 55-60 mins or until a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted in the middle. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.Step 6
Serve with a generous pouring of double cream.