Apple, Blackberry and Almond Cake
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
100g (4oz) butter at room temperature
100g (4oz) xylitol
100g (4oz) Wholemeal brown flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g (4oz) ground almonds
100g (4oz) flaked almonds plus 1tbs for sprinkling on top
200g (7oz) Bramley cooking apples (cored weight), unpeeled and diced
100g (4oz) Blackberries, preferably frozen
4 medium eggs
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line an 8”/20cm cake tin with non-stick paper.
- Cream the butter and xylitol together until soft and smooth.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder and ground almonds until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the flaked almonds (reserving 1 tbs), apples and blackberries, then stir in the eggs without beating them.
- Spoon into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the reserved flaked almonds on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden and set. Remove from the oven and cover the top with a sheet of tin foil, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes or until the cake is cooked. (Tip: insert a skewer into the middle – if it comes out fairly clean then the cake is cooked; if it is still runny then it needs a bit longer.)
Cooking notes
VARIATIONS: replace the apple with pear. You could also use soya flour instead of wholemeal flour for gluten-free although there is controversy around soya at the moment.
