Apple cinnamon cake

Nothing says autumn to me more than apples and cinnamon…and it smells fantastic as it’s baking.  I made this recipe for the first time today…I liked the sound of having an ‘apple layer’ in the middle of the cake, rather than having the fruit spread evenly throughout.  I am a mixed spice and cinnamon fiend (recipe for making your own mixed spice coming soon!) and there is plenty here to keep cinnamon fans happy 🙂  You could use bramley cooking apples here, but any variety of UK eating apples would be great, especially as they are all in season!

f/5.3, 1/100, ISO-800

f/5, 1/80, ISO-400

Ingredients:

• 225g soft butter
• 225g light muscovado sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 225g self-raising flour, sifted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 100g sultanas
• 400g apples, cored and grated (I used Cox’s)
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Cinnamon sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.  Grease and base line a 9 inch/23cm deep cake tin.
2. Cream the butter and muscovado sugar together.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a small amount of flour each time to stop the mixture curdling.
3. Quickly mix in the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and 1 tsp of the cinnamon.  I used my electric handmixer, but only mix until the flour is just incorporated.  Fold in the sultanas.
4. Add half the cake mix to the tin and level it out.  Add the grated apple in an even layer and sprinkle with the other tsp of cinnamon.  Add the other half of the cake mix on top and level out.
5. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon to a small amount of muscovado sugar and mix together.  Sprinkle this cinnamon sugar over the top of the cake.
6. Bake for around 1 hour until the cake has risen and is golden brown.

Perfect with coffee…enjoy 🙂