If there is a particular recipe that signals the transition into Autumn and the harvest season for us, it has to include apples, despite the abundance of everything else. We like a rustic Dorset Apple Cake for the cinnamon that complements apples so well. It works really well as a warm pudding with hot custard for a real autumnal treat.
I use a recipe from The BBC Good Food website. I heat the oven to 180°C or 160°C for a fan oven and butter and line a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Then I mix 225g of self-raising flour with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, before adding 115g of chilled and diced unsalted butter which I rub into it until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Then, I stir in 115g of soft brown sugar and beat in one large egg followed by 6 to 8 tablespoons of milk, added gradually until the batter is smooth and thick.
Then it's time to add 225g of chopped apples and 100g of sultanas or raisins before pouring the whole lot into the prepared tin. I also sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of demerara sugar on top and then bake for around 30 to 40 minutes.
I leave it to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.
