Desserts
Dorset apple cake
A classic British Dorset apple cake with a cup of tea on a cool autumn day is hard to beat. This simple recipe is full of warming spices and tangy apple, dusted with crunchy demerara sugar. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 150g/5½oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 75g/2½oz caster sugar
- 75g/2½oz soft light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fine salt, plus a pinch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 free-range eggs
- 175g/6oz plain flour
- 35g/1¼oz wholemeal flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 medium Bramley apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 15g/½oz demerara sugar
Method for Dorset apple cake
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Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm/8in cake tin with baking paper.
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Beat the butter, caster sugar, light brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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Mix the flours, baking powder and a pinch of salt together in a separate bowl, then gradually mix into the butter, sugar and egg mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon, stirring well to make sure there are no pockets of flour.
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Mix the apple pieces together with the cornflour until well coated, then combine with the cake mixture.
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Tip the cake mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin before serving with a cup of tea or a drizzle of cream.
Dorset apple cake