Dorset Apple cake.

Dorset Apple cake

I don’t often bake cakes with fresh fruits inside as they can become quite soggy which I hate, and David hates even more.

With this cake, no need to worry as there is a very good balance between fruit and a real cake texture.

The Dorset Apple Cake is a huge classic in Great Britain. Sometimes, they call it “Apple Cake”, if the apples are not from Dorset (a big apple producing region) or Bramley Apple Cake (Bramley being a variety of British apples which are perfect for cooking as they are sharp).

When it’s the season, almost all British food magazines give a version of Dorset or Bramley Apple Cake.

Every year, when I see one of them, I dream of baking one but don’t ask me why, it always happens at the wrong moment, and then I forget, until next year.

Recently, my parents gave me a huge bag of apples from their garden in Normandy and I immediately thought about baking this Dorset apple cake.

As I had just been sorting out my enormous piles of recipes from food magazines, I found the recipe in 2 minutes.

I then discovered that the recipe, which I found in Delicious magazine, is also on the Internet which makes me really doubt the wisdom of keeping recipes on paper.

Dorset Apple cake

Compared to the original, I added a sliced apple on top with some muscovado sugar and I slightly reduced the amount of butter and sugar.

Ingredients for 8 persons

450g apples (2 to 3 apples, according to their size)
1 apple for the topping
1 tbsp muscovado sugar for the topping or 1 tbsp brown sugar
200g slightly salted butter at room temperature
180g brown sugar
3 eggs
200g self raising flour
2 level tsp baking powder
or 200g flour and a packet of baking powder (11 g)
25g powdered almonds
Zest and juice from a lime

Peel the apples, slice one and set aside.
Cut the remaining apples in cubes of 1 cm, put in a bowl, add the lime juice and mix.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and lime zest.
Add the eggs, one at a time and mix after adding each one.
Add the self raising flour, the baking powder (or the flour and baking powder), the powdered almonds and mix.
Add the diced apples with their juice and mix again.
Pour the mixture in a 21 cm round baking tin and level the surface.
(I used a silicone mould. If you’re using a classical baking tin, butter it).
Add the reserved slices of apple on top, sprinkle with the muscovado sugar or the brown sugar.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and allow to cool on a wired rack.

This cake is perfect for an afternoon snack.

Notes for British pastries passionate

In old cook books, the Dorset Apple cake is prepared in a different manner. The butter is added to the flour and then is rubbed with the fingers until obtaining breadcrumbs. Then, the sugar is added, the apples and a mixture of milk and eggs. The texture is very close to a big scone.