Autumn Apple Cake….

Now that my favourite season is here it’s time to start thinking of comfort food. Where better place to start than my recipe for Autumn Apple Cake? It makes use of those windfall apples that are starting to fall from the trees in our orchard and if we don’t keep pace with them we’ll soon be overwhelmed! However, any apples will do for this cake and if there are any wrinkled ones lurking in the fruit bowl this would be a good way to use them up.

Method:

Weigh 4 eggs in their shells.
Whatever this weight is, measure out the same in softened butter, light soft brown sugar and self raising flour plus another 50g of self raising flour
You will also need 2 heaped teaspoons of cinnamon, 50g of chopped walnuts, 50g of sultanas, 2 apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1cm dice) plus a tablespoon or two of demerara sugar to sprinkle on the top of the cake before it goes into the oven.

Method:
– preheat the oven to 180°C
– grease and line an 8″ (21cm) round cake tin
– beat the softened butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon and eggs together until smooth and well blended
– add the sultanas, walnuts and diced apple and mix everything together

– pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin
– sprinkle the surface of the cake with the demerara sugar
– bake the cake for about 70 minutes or until the cake is well risen and golden brown (if a skewer is inserted into the centre of the cake it should not have any wet cake mixture sticking to it when removed)

Although this cake is lovely served cold, it’s especially nice served warm and accompanied by a blob of double cream!