Apple and cranberry crumble cake

This apple and cranberry cake is a fantastic twist on classic apple cake for cranberry lovers. The combination of apples and fresh cranberries is simply perfect. There’s no need to chill the dough or pre-bake the crust, so the recipe comes together quickly and easily. Fresh cranberries are in season right now, so it’s the perfect time to enjoy them, although frozen cranberries work equally well in this recipe without any adjustments. Highly recommended!

Ingredients for the cake:

• 300 g plain flour
• 200 g butter
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk, from a large egg
• 110 g light brown sugar

Place all the dough ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. The dough will be very thick, almost like cookie dough. If it feels particularly sticky, chill it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Line the base of a 24 cm square baking tin with baking paper. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Press one half evenly into the base of the tin, spread over the apple and cranberry filling, then scatter pieces of the remaining dough over the top.

Bake at 180°C for approximately 50 minutes. Once cooled, dust with icing sugar if desired.

Ingredients for the apple and cranberry filling:

• 600 g cooking apples*
• 300 g cranberries
• ¼ cup sugar (or less, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon potato starch (or cornflour)

Wash, peel and core the apples, then slice them into thin half-moons. Place the apples in a saucepan with the cranberries, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir well. Cook for a few minutes, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the cranberries begin to burst. Sift in the potato starch and stir to combine. Remove from the heat. There is no need to cool the filling before adding it to the prepared crust.

*Suitable cooking apples include Bramley, Cox or Russet varieties.

Enjoy!