French apple cake

Serves: 8-10
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 65 minutes

This is an unusual cake that makes a lovely dessert. The tartness of the apples gives it a fresh and light quality which is welcome at the end of a good meal.

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Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) tart cooking apples e.g. Bramleys or Granny Smiths
• 75g (3oz) self-raising flour
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 125g (4oz) caster sugar
• 75ml (2½ fl oz) milk
• 50g (2oz) melted butter
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• Soft butter for greasing cake tin
• You will need a deep, 20cm (8 inch) cake tin, a cooling rack and baking parchment.

For the topping

• 75g (3oz) butter, very soft
• 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• Icing sugar

Directions

1Preheat oven to 170C/325F/M3.

2Grease the tin and line the base with a circle of baking parchment.

3Peel, core and chop the apples, place in the tin. Put the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and using the Hand Mixer with beaters at top speed, beat to a smooth cream.

4Pour the batter over the apples and bake for 45 minutes on the middle shelf.

5Beat the topping ingredients together and pour over the semi-baked cake.

6Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.

7Cool the cake in the tin for a further 40 minutes. Loosen sides with a knife and gently shake out onto the cooling rack lined with a piece of parchment. Leave to cool a little.

8Carefully turn the cake over onto a serving plate, so the topping is uppermost.

9Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and serve with some softly whipped Whipping Cream.