This Cider and Apple Cake uses fresh apples, so it will only keep for a few days. But it’s so nice it disappeared on day one when I served it to my family! We had it as a pudding after our Sunday lunch and then the remainder was finished off with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

To Autumn

Autumn is my favourite season and John Keat’s poem ‘To Autumn’ is one of my favourite poems. Here are the first six lines –

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
  Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
  With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
  And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

Ingredients you will need to make this Cider and Apple Cake

• 8 ounces / 225 grams / 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 6 ounces / 170 grams / ¾ cup self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 ounces / 170 grams / ¾ cup dark soft brown sugar
• 6 ounces / 170 grams / ¾ cup butter
• 2 pounds / 900 grams cooking apples (I used a mixture of Bramleys and Howgate Wonder)
• 2 eggs
• ¼ pint / 150 ml cider
• 2 tablespoons honey for glaze
• 1 tablespoon cider for glaze

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Grease and line a 9 inch / 23 cm cake tin.
3. Sieve the flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl. Tip any bran left in the sieve into the bowl and stir in to mix evenly.
4. Stir in the sugar.
5. Add the butter, cut into small pieces and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
6. Peel and core the apples and cut into smallish pieces.
7. Add the apples to the mixture and mix them in so they are evenly distributed (I use my hands for this).
8. Beat the eggs and the cider together.
9. Add them to the apple mixture and mix together. Again I found it easier and quicker to use my hands.
10. Transfer your mixture to the greased and lined cake tin and spread evenly.
11. Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 1 ½ hours until well risen and golden brown.
12. While the cake is baking prepare the glaze.
13. Put the honey and cider in a small saucepan and stir together over a medium heat until the honey dissolves.
14. Bring the glaze to boiling point and simmer for 2-3 minutes until syrupy.
15. When the cake is cooked brush the glaze over while it is hot.
16. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the cake tin if you wish to serve it as a pudding.
17. It can be left in the tin until completely cold if it is being served as a cake.

How I created this Cider and Apple Cake recipe

Of course autumn means British apples are again in season and with our local fruit farm re-opening in early September I was able to buy local Bramleys, Howgate Wonders and Early Windsors, as well as some lovely Williams Pears.

I used cooking apples (Bramleys and Howgate Wonders) to make an apple cake. As I am still not settled in my new home I do not have all my kitchen equipment available at the moment so I wanted to make a simple cake using the rubbing in method.

My usual apple cake recipe uses the creaming method and this was difficult without a microwave to soften the butter and without an electric mixer to take the hard work out of creaming the butter and sugar. I had also seen some traditional recipes for cider cakes from the cider producing areas of England – mainly the South West counties and Herefordshire – so I thought I would experiment with using cider as an ingredient in my apple cake.

Cider and Apple Cake

Recipe by Scones Plus More

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

10

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces / 225 grams / 1 cup wholemeal flour

• 6 ounces / 170 grams / ¾ cup self raising flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 6 ounces / 170 grams / ¾ cup dark soft brown sugar

• 6 ounces / 170 grams / ¾ cup butter

• 2 pounds / 900 grams / cooking apples (I used a mixture of Bramleys and Howgate Wonder)

• 2 eggs

• ¼ pint / 150 ml cider

• 2 tablespoons honey for glaze

• 1 tablespoon cider for glaze

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Grease and line a 9 inch / 23 cm cake tin.
• Sieve the flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl. Tip any bran left in the sieve into the bowl and stir in to mix evenly.
• Stir in the sugar.
• Add the butter, cut into small pieces and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Peel and core the apples and cut into smallish pieces.
• Add the apples to the mixture and mix them in so they are evenly distributed (I use my hands for this).
• Beat the eggs and the cider together.
• Add them to the apple mixture and mix together. Again I found it easier and quicker to use my hands.
• Transfer your mixture to the greased and lined cake tin and spread evenly.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 1 ½ hours until well risen and golden brown.
• While the cake is baking prepare the glaze.
• Put the honey and cider in a small saucepan and stir together over a medium heat until the honey dissolves.
• Bring the glaze to boiling point and simmer for 2-3 minutes until syrupy.
• When the cake is cooked brush the glaze over while it is hot.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the cake tin if you wish to serve it as a pudding.
• It can be left in the tin until completely cold if it is being served as a cake.

Some of my other recent apple recipes

As you may have gathered I love apples and am always looking for new ways to use them in my like to use them in my baking.

I have recently revamped my classic The Best Apple Pie recipe with some new photos and description.

Also, please do take a look at my Apple and Blackberry Scones recipe and my Apple and Cheese Scones. Remember, when the apple season is coming to an end (or before if you can’t wait!) it’s well worth using any leftovers to make some Slow Cooker Apple Butter. What I love about this one is that everything goes in – so no need to peel or core the apples!

Cider and Apple Cake Traybake

I have recently been converting some of my cakes into traybakes, so if you would like to make this Cider and Apple Cake as a traybake here are the directions:

Print

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Grease and line an 8 inch x 12 inch traybake tin.
• Make up the cake mixture and glaze as in the recipe directions above.
• Scrape the cake mixture into the traybake tin and smooth out evenly.
• Bake for approximately 45 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and carefully spoon over the glaze while hot.
• Leave in the tin until completely cold before cutting into sections.

Until next time…

Happy Baking!

Tanya