Spiced Apple cake

200g pitted dates, roughly chopped

200ml milk, plus a splash

250g butter, softened, plus extra for

greasing

275g self-raising flour

200g light soft brown sugar

½ tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground mixed spice

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 small red apples

Squeeze lemon juice

Icing sugar

For the sauce

300m double cream

2 tbsp golden syrup

100g soft brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GAS Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment. Put the dates and milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer then remove from the heat and leave to stand until cool. Whizz the date mixture to a smooth purée in a food processor then transfer into a large mixing bowl. Tip in the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, cinnamon, mixed spice and vanilla, and set aside. To prepare the apples, peel, quarter and core then slice quite thinly, tossing in a little lemon juice as you go. Quickly beat the cake ingredients together with an electric whisk until smooth then scrape into the baking tray. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in rows, on top of the mixture and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tray.

For the fudge sauce, heat the three ingredients in a pan and stir until completely smooth.

To serve, dust the cake with icing sugar, then drizzle the sauce all over then slice.