Cake to round off a woodland wander
Cuts into 16 squares
2 sweet apples (we used Gala), peeled, cored and cut into rings
Juice of half a lemon
250g butter
250g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
For the topping:
2 tbsp demerara sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped roasted hazelnuts
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6 and line a 20x20cm tin with baking paper.
2 Prepare the apples by squeezing over the lemon juice and setting aside.
3 Add all the ingredients for the topping to a small bowl, mix together and set aside.
4 Meanwhile, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light, then add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating before adding the next.
5 Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, flour and baking powder, and mix until you have a smooth batter.
6 Pour half the batter into the tin and push it into the corners with a spatula. Add half the apple rings in a single layer, then cover with the remaining batter and add a final layer of apples. Sprinkle over the topping mixture and bake on the middle shelf for 45-50mins, or until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.
7 Allow to cool for 5 mins in the tin before removing and cutting into squares. Wrap up individual squares to serve up before leaving for the woods.
The apple cake bake is just one of the recipes in our ‘Gathering’ feature from our March issue. It’s a menu for a woodland picnic that we’ve called ‘Down with the Daffodils’ and includes recipes for Trail Mix, Sweet Potato, Ginger and Coconut Soup, Easy Loaf, Chorizo Chilli and Speedy Jacket Potatoes, with Mint Mochas and Peanut Butter Hot Chocolates to wash it down.
Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe
