Cakes Recipes - Apple Cake

Ingredients

• 675g apples, peeled, cored and quartered

• 500g caster sugar

• 15ml water

• 350 plain flour

• 9ml bicarbonate of soda

• 5ml cinnamon

• 5m cloves

• 175 cup raisins

• 150g chopped walnuts

• 225g butter or margarine, at room temperature

• 5ml vanilla essence

• For the Icing

• 115g icing sugar

• 1.5ml vanilla essence

• 30-45ml milk

---

Method:

1. Put the apples, 50g/2oz/4 tbsp of the sugar and the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up any lumps. Leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 160 'C/325 'F / Gas 3. Thoroughly butter and flour a 1.75-litre tube tin.

2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a bowl. Remove 30ml/2 tbsp of the mixture to another bowl and toss with the raisins and 115g/4oz/1 cup of the walnuts.

3. Cream the butter or margarine and remaining sugar  together until light and fluffy. Fold in the apple mixture gently. Fold the flour mixture into the apple mixture. Stir in the vanilla and the raisin and walnut mixture. Pour into the tube tin. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hours. Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, then unmould on to the rack.

4. For the icing, put the sugar in a bowl and stir in the vanilla and 15ml/1 tbsp milk. Add more milk until the icing is smooth and has a thick pouring consistency. Transfer the cake to a serving plate and drizzle the icing on top. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts. Allow the icing to set.