We moved into a new house this summer. I’m quite smitten with it. Oodles of space for our little family, stained glass windows and original fireplace features. Also, a big back garden which has been awesome this summer for BBQs, picnics and for little m to run around in.
We’ve never had a garden before and my gardening skills amount to less than zilch. I am a serial killer of houseplants. Even succulents and cacti are not safe in my care. This garden has roses, hydrangeas, apple trees and myriad other plants and weeds. Where to begin?! I have a lot of learning to do.
I’ve been greedily watching the two apple trees in the garden all summer – one eating apples, one cooking apples. Sadly the tree of eating apples only produced a dozen or so apples and after the birds and squirrels had their share we only had 5 little apples. How do you improve the yield of an apple tree?
Two of our precious apples went into this apple and blackberry cake. I love the combination of apples and blackberries. This is a cake that balances between summer and autumn. Plump, shiny, summer berries with the first of autumn’s apples. This cake is loaded with fruit, dense and moist. It could be served warm, swimming in custard or cold with a liberal dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of cream, moreish either way.
Apple and Blackberry Cake
Adapted from Allyson Gofton’s Bake. Makes one 10″ round cake.
- 75g melted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 1/4 cups white flour
- 2/3 cup brown flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 3 medium apples – peeled, cored and thinly sliced.
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease and line a large round cake tin.
Beat together the melted butter, sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir in the sliced apples to coat them. Add the combined flours, baking soda and cinnamon to the bowl and mix together.
Spread half of the thick cake mixture into the base of the cake tin. Sprinkle most of the blackberries over the cake, pushing some further into the batter and leaving some resting on top. Spread the remaining cake mixture over top and press the remaining blackberries into the top of the cake.
Bake for 50-60 mins or until cooked through. The cake will brown a lot on the outside before it is cooked in the centre, test carefully with a skewer before removing from the oven. Rest cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack.
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