West country apple cake
“Regional England produced distinctive and delicious tea cakes with curious names, based on ingredients to hand.”
- 450g apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- squeeze of lemon
- 225g unsalted butter, soft
- 250g castor sugar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 350g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp milk
- icing sugar
A beautifully light cake that is lovely served with whipped cream. I have had great results using even the most ordinary Granny Smith apples, but if you can get your hands on some Bramley's or Cox's Orange Pippins all the better!
Method
Pre-heat oven to 170C. Sprinkle the chopped apples with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a squeeze of lemon and allow to stand for half an hour.
Beat the butter and castor sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and flour, a little at a time, until they are incorporated.
Drain the apples (reserve the liquid for the icing) and fold into the cake mixture along with the remaining ingredients. Spoon into a greased and lined 23-centimetre ring tin. Bake for 1ΒΌ hours, or until lightly golden on top and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Allow to cool on a wire rack and cover in icing.
For the icing
Mix enough icing sugar with the liquid from the apples to make a smooth pouring consistency. Pour over cooled cake and serve once icing has set.