Deliciously moist Dorset apple cake – a classic British bake from Dorset in south-west England. The cake combines chunks of sweet-tart apples with the signature crunchy topping created by baked demerara sugar. Traditionally, it’s made with the well-known British Bramley apple, which cooks down quickly, though any apples will work well. Cinnamon and raisins were not originally included, but over time they began to appear in recipes to enhance the flavour. The cake is said to be best served warm with clotted cream – a very thick and rich British cream. We also enjoyed it once cooled. Highly recommended!
Ingredients for the Dorset apple cake:
- 150 g butter
- 130 g light muscovado sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 150 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 30 ml milk
- 2 large apples or 3 medium apples
- 100 g sultanas or raisins (I used dried cranberries)*
- 2 tablespoons demerara sugar, for sprinkling
All ingredients should be at room temperature. Peel, core and dice the apples.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and muscovado sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon directly into the mixture, add the milk and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Fold in two-thirds of the diced apples and the sultanas/raisins.
Line a 21 cm or 23 cm round tin with baking parchment. Spoon in the batter and level the surface. Arrange the remaining apples on top and sprinkle evenly with demerara sugar. Bake at 180°C for about 45 minutes (23 cm tin) or 60–70 minutes (21 cm tin), until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
*Sultanas, raisins or cranberries should be soft and plump. If they are dry, place them in a small saucepan with a few tablespoons of orange juice, apple juice or water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Leave to absorb the liquid and cool before adding. Using dry fruit straight from the packet may result in a drier cake, as dried fruit absorbs moisture from the batter.
Enjoy!
Recipe source: waitrose.com
I read all comments, but unfortunately I can't answer them all. Before posting a question, make sure nobody has asked a similar one (this will be facilitated by the search engine included in the comments). Comments with links may not be published.
Blog author