APPLE CAKE

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

2 Pink Lady apples; juice of a lemon; 125g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for preparing tin; 1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar; 1 tsp vanilla paste or essence; pinch of ground cinnamon; 2 large free-range eggs; 1 cup self-raising flour; 1⁄2 cup plain flour, plus extra for preparing tin; 3⁄4 cup milk; a little icing sugar, to dust

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C (or 170C if you have a dark-coloured cake tin). Grease and lightly flour base and sides of a spring-form cake tin; shake tin upside-down to remove excess flour.

Peel and core apples and cut into thin wedges; drop into a bowl of water with the juice of a lemon to prevent browning.

Place butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl and beat using an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. If the mixture “splits” (looks curdled) don’t be concerned.

Sift flour into bowl and add milk; fold in until just combined. Pour batter into prepared tin. Drain apples well and arrange on the top of the batter in overlapping circles.

Bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Keep in the cake tin for 10 minutes then remove from the tin and leave to cool on a rack. Dust cake with a little icing sugar and serve with cream.