Makes: 1 x 23 cm round cake, about 10–12 slices
Oven:180°C fan / 200°C conventional / gas 6
Bake time: 55–65 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
For the apple filling
4 medium eating apples, such as Pink Lady
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon plain flour
For the crumble topping
90g plain flour
90g rolled oats
75g light brown sugar
90g cold unsalted butter, diced
Pinch of fine salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
40g roughly chopped hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts
For the cake
175 g unsalted butter, softened
175 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175 g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk
Pinch of fine salt
Add 60g golden sultanas to sprinkle over the cake batter
METHOD:
1. Butter and line the base of a 23 cm loose-bottomed cake tin. If yours is not particularly leakproof, sit it on a baking tray.
2. Place the flour, oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nuts, if using, in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until you have a mixture of fine crumbs and a few larger clumps. Refrigerate while you make the cake.
3. Peel, core, and cut the apples into small chunks—roughly 1–1.5 cm. Toss with lemon juice, brown sugar, ground ginger and flour. The flour will catch the apple juices as the cake cooks, so the middle stays soft rather than wet.
4. Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together for 3–4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour if the mixture looks as though it might curdle. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Fold in the self-raising flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, followed by the milk. The mixture should be thick but easily spreadable.
6. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top and sprinkle over the golden sultanas. Scatter the apple mixture evenly over it, then sprinkle the crumble across the apples. Do not press it down; the loose texture gives the best crisp topping.
7. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until the crumble is golden and a skewer pushed into the cake part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the topping colours too quickly, lay a loose sheet of foil over the top for the final 10–15 minutes.
8. Leave in the tin for 20 minutes before releasing. Serve warm, ideally with cold pouring cream, custard, or crème fraîche.
