Apples, apples everywhere!

I’ve never been faced with a glut of apples before, but after our afternoon at an orchard, Dave negotiated scrumping rights with our next-door neighbour and now I find myself with a large bag of apples that seems to be bottomless.  So far I’ve made a luscious apple crumble, some apple butter (inspired by Zarah’s) and the apples barely seem dented.  Serious measures are called for.

One of the mottos that I seem to live life by is: in case of emergency… bake cake.  So I figured that a nice, moist apple cake should take care of quite a few of the tiny Bramley apples that Alan, our neighbour, brought round.  Every year I look longingly over at the laden branches of his trees and this year I finally get to taste them!

This cake is superbly moist with a pure apple flavour and lovely distinct chunks of apples with additional flavour bombs in the shape of the cider-plumped sultanas.  There’s a lovely buttery finish and just the right amount of cinnamon permeating the entire cake.  The whole house smells warm, welcoming and apple-y which is marvellous.

I served the cake warm with a generous spoonful of Chantilly cream, but it would be equally as delicious with something a little edgier like creme fraiche.  It is also fantastic on its own as elevenses with a glass of apple juice—for the apple obsessed among us… I’m looking at you, Lucas—or a glass of cold milk.

Somerset apple cake

Source: Tamasin Day-Lewis

• 175g sultanas
• 150ml dry cider
• 280g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 225g unrefined caster sugar
• 180g unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 2 large cooking apples (Bramley), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base with a circle of greaseproof paper.

2. Soak the sultanas in the cider for about 20 minutes.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl.

4. Cream the sugar and butter for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating as you go.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients, the lemon zest and the sliced apples.

6. Stir in the soaked sultanas, along with any remaining cider.

7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

8. Cool in the tin, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

9. If you are serving the cake as a pudding, loosely cover it with kitchen foil and reheat in a warm oven. Serve with crème fraîche laced with a little Calvados or Somerset cider brandy if you fancy it.