Apple rescue

A few sad apples in the fruit bowl, half a pack of butter to use, and some eggs... apple cake, mmm :)

Who better to turn to than Delia? Spiced apple muffin cake.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz (350 g) Bramley apples (weight after peeling and coring), chopped into ½ inch (1 cm) cubes
• 4 oz (110 g) butter
• 10 oz (275 g) plain flour
• 1 level tablespoon plus 1 level teaspoon baking powder
• ½ level teaspoon salt
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 level teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ whole nutmeg, grated
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 3 oz (75 g) golden caster sugar
• 6 fl oz (175 ml) milk

For the pecan streusel topping:

• 2 oz (50 g) pecan nuts, roughly chopped
• 3 oz (75 g) self-raising flour
• 3 oz (75 g) demerara sugar
• 1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 oz (25 g) soft butter
• 1 tbsp cold water
  

Method:

Melt the butter and sieve the flour, all the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and grated nutmeg into a bowl.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and milk together, then whisk in the melted butter. Sieve the flour mixture (again) into the egg mixture and fold it gently until just mixed. Now fold in the chopped apple and then spoon the mixture into the tin.

To make the streusel add the flour, sugar and cinnamon and rub the butter in with your fingertips. Sprinkle in the nuts and 1 tablespoon cold water, then press the mixture loosely together. Spoon it over the surface of the cake, then bake on the centre shelf of the oven for about 1¼ hours, until it feels springy in the centre.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then finish on a rack.

The only mistake I made was to omit the water from the streusel, because it wasn't on Delia's ingredient list (I have added it). So I have a dusty crumble topped cake instead!