Try this quick and easy tray-bake style cake that is delicious hot or cold.
Makes 10-12 slices
Ready in 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling time
Ingredients:
350g cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
50g granulated sugar
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 medium eggs
Icing sugar, to dust
Place the cooking apples, lemon juice and granulated sugar in a heavy-based pan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then simmer for 3-4 minutes until the apple has just softened. Leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23cm square shallow cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
Place the butter, caster sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and eggs in a large bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer, beat together for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy.
Spread half the cake mixture in the base of the lined cake tin. Drain off any excess liquid from the cooked apples then spoon them over the cake mixture in an even layer. Gently spread the rest of the cake mixture over the apple filling.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the cake has shrunk from the sides of the tin and springs back when pressed in the centre with your fingertips. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
Serve warm or cold, cut into slices and dusted with icing sugar. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
No cooking apples? No problem: You can replace the cooked apples with two peeled, cored and diced eating apples – no need to cook them, just toss them in the lemon juice and use only 25g granulated sugar, then spoon onto the cake mixture.
