An Apple Cake (the first of a ‘2lb loaf tin’ series…..)

A couple of years back I bought a 2lb loaf tin, and some liners from our local Poundland. I can’t recall if it cost £1 or £2 for the loaf tin, but I’m pretty sure the linings were a £1 a pack. There is always, to me anyway, a bit of a moral dilemma to these Poundland bargains; as you suspect they have been made by some (almost) slave labour, who are paid a pittance, in some country where hours are long, and workplace health and safety is non-existent. However it was manufactured though, it has actually lasted rather well.

The following is my recipe for a 2lb loaf tin apple cake. I made one today to the recipe, but it wasn’t the best (as you can probably judge by the photo). But I’ve made one before to this recipe, and it was fabulous. I think the problem today was the oven was a bit too hot, and more 200 degrees centigrade than 180 on my dial, but you live and learn… set your temperature at leisure, and don’t rush anything else either. Or your cake will suffer...

So here’s the recipe;

You need;

170g of self-raising flour

2 level teaspoons of ground cinnamon

80g of unsalted butter

80g of light brown sugar

1 medium egg

80g of sultanas

170g of apples (traditionally Bramleys, but I’ve also used Katy’s successfully, and suspect that anything other than ‘soft’ eaters would work)

3 tablespoons of milk

2 tablespoons of cider (use more milk if you don’t want to use cider….)

1 level tablespoon of demerara sugar

Steps;

1. Set oven to heat to 180c

2. Sieve the flour and cinnamon together, then mix

3. Rub in the butter (cut it into small pieces then crumble through your fingers until it achieves breadcrumb consistency)

4. Stir in the light brown sugar

5. Beat the egg, and then mix in

6. Add the milk and cider. Aim for a smooth paste consistency. Add more milk if required.

7. Add the sultanas

8. Peel your apples and core them. Then cut into pieces about the size of a cashew nut. One large Bramley should provide you with 170g

9. Mix in your apples

10. Then transfer the mixture into your lined loaf tin

11. Sprinkle the demerara sugar on top

12. Cook for around 40 minutes, testing if cooked by inserting a knife and seeing if it comes out 'non-gooey'

13. Place on a rack to cool for 20 minutes

14. Remove from tin

For the next in the 2lb loaf tin series, I’m thinking of a rich, whiskey flavoured, fruit cake. I think I’ll need to experiment first, to see if it’s even possible in a loaf tin. (Not experimenting too much with whiskey though. I did that as a teenager, and the results were messy….. )