This is an easy cake to make as you just mix the base ingredients all together, then add the fruit and nuts. Good for using windfall apples – just cut out the bruised bit. It’s adaptable too – it still works without the walnuts or dates, and all plain white flour will do if you don’t have any wholewheat flour. You could also try something else apart from apple with a similar consistency – such as prunes, soft apricots, rhubarb. Something to keep you going at the allotment or for a picnic!
“ Ingredients
- 110g (4 oz) soft margarine
- 175g (6 oz) soft brown sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 110g (4 oz) wholewheat flour
- 110g (4 oz) plain flour
- A pinch of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 110g (4 oz) walnuts – optional
- 75g (3 oz) pitted dates, roughly chopped – optional
- 3-4 tablespoons of milk
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/410F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a loaf tin measuring 9×19 cm approx. (3.5×7.5 inches).
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, adding the margarine, sugar, eggs and salt. Whisk with an electric hand whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add the chopped apple, then walnuts and dates if included.
- Mix well with the milk and spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, spreading evenly.
- Bake for an hour or until the loaf feels springy in the centre and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (not sticky).
- Let the cake cool for a minute or two in the tin, then turn it out on to a wire tray.
- Store in an airtight tin. This cake will have a limited life if fresh fruit included.