Somerset Apple Cake Loaf
A wonderfully dense, rich butter cake recipe from Somerset, United Kingdom, where I had the immense pleasure of residing for 20 years or so. This unique county, south west of London, is very famous for its World Heritage Sites, quality agriculture and of course its famous cider apples, to make a wonderful local drink still to this day called Scrumpy or cider.
Traditionally for this cake, cider was used to soak the sultanas or raisins, and I still recommend to do this but if you wish to avoid alcohol use the lemon juice.
Freeze as a whole cake after cooking, wrapped in cling film with a layer of tin foil, and will keep like this for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
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280g plain flour- sieved
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1 ½ tsp baking powder- add to flour to be sieved
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200g caster sugar
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180g butter- softened
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2 eggs
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125g sultanas- or raisins
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2 small apples- eating apples
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2 lemons- juice only, 1 for sultana soak, 1 for apple soak
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1 tbsp sugar- for topping
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1 tsp cinnamon powder- for topping
Instructions
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Prepare cake tin:
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01 Lightly butter and line with a piece of non stick paper to form a cradle (easy to lift out when cooked).
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02 Soak the sultanas (or raisins) in the juice from one of the lemons for 5 minutes. Mix well and leave to one side for later.
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Prepare cake topping:
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03 Core the apples and thinly slice. Place in a bowl with the juice from the second lemon, cinnamon powder and sugar. Mix well and leave to one side for later.
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Prepare cake:
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04 In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and pale in colour. Now beat in both eggs, one at a time. Fold in all remaining ingredients including the soaked sultanas and juice.
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05 Spoon cake mixture into the prepared loaf tin and top with the cinnamon, sugar apple slices.
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06 Bake in the oven until cake is firm to the touch and the top nicely cooked.
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07 Serve sliced with a generous dollop of whipped cream or dairy free alternative.
Notes
Use a 22cm x 12 cm non stick loaf tin. Use a mandolin or slicing blade from food processor to thinly slice the apples. Traditionally the recipe should use cider as the soak for the dried fruit and if you prefer to use it, add 1 tablespoon and omit the lemon juice. Bake for at least an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
