Apple cake

Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour

• 6 Golden Delicious apples or other eating apples
• Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
• 3 medium eggs
• 150g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 100ml (scant ½ cup) light (2%) milk
• 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 300g plain (all-purpose) flour
• 15g baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced) and line a deep 25cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

2. Peel and chop 4 of the apples into 5mm cubes and peel and slice the remaining apples into 2mm thick half-moon slices. Put the small cubes in one bowl and the thin slices in another. Squeeze the lemon juice between the two bowls and stir to coat the apples. This will stop them turning brown.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then add the milk and melted butter and whisk again until everything is well combined. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture. Add the lemon zest and the vanilla extract and mix well. Stir in the cubed apples, then pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.

4. Layer the apple slices on top of the cake mixture in a circle formation, starting from the edges and overlapping each one a little until you get to the centre, to create a spiral pattern. As you do this, slightly press each slice into the mixture. Make sure the whole surface is covered. If you wish, you can now sprinkle the top with some sugar to create a crunchy, caramelised crust.

5. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45–50 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes.

6. Before serving, dust with icing sugar.