Delicious Recipe!

Dear Friends,

I just have to share this with you all.  My husband has been telling me all week how lovely this cake is.  As I only allow myself cake at the weekend, I had to wait until today to confirm it and boy, it was just divine!  Nectar even.  So I wanted to share.  Not much to look at, but.......

Devonshire Apple Cake a la Katy

450g apples (cookers or eaters - we have a lot in the garden so I used those)

lemon juice

350g self raising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

350g caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp almond essence

225g butter, melted

generous scattering of shredded, flaked or chopped almonds (any other nut will do - I used crushed hazlenuts as they were all I had)

For the syrup

About 150ml honey 

2-3 teaspoons almond essence

Oven Temp. 180C/350F/Gas No. 4

Grease and base line your tin.  The recipe calls for a 12 x 9 in (30 x 23cm) roasting tin, but I used a 11 x 7 in for a slightly deeper cake.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and squeeze the lemon juice over them.

Measure the flour, baking powder and sugar into a large bowl.  Beat the eggs together with the almond essence and stir into the flour with the melted butter.  Mix well then spread half this mixture into the tin.  Arrange the apples over the top of the cake mixture.  Carefully top with the rest of the mixture - don't worry if the apples show through a little. Sprinkle over the nuts.

Bake in the oven for about one and a quarter hours, until cake is golden, firm to the touch and slightly shrunk away from the sides of the tin.  Take out of the oven and while the cake is still warm, mix the honey and almond essence together and blitz in the microwave for about 10-15 secs to make it into a runny liquid.  Pierce the cake in several places with a skewer and evenly pour over the honey syrup.  Leave to cool for 15 mins before turning out. (you will probably get a bit sticky here with the syrup topping and will have to turn the cake back upright again straight away to keep the sticky side up).

This will be delicious served warm, sprinkled with caster sugar and served with cream or is just as tasty cold (as vouched for by my taster!).