loaf cake with apple and cinnamon

This is a lovely moist loaf which I love to serve sliced and buttered – and it’s very quick and simple to make.

Equipment and preparation: you will need 2 x 450g/1lb deep loaf tins greased and lined with a strip of baking paper.

Mary Berry recipes
From Mary Berry Cooks

Ingredients

• 75g/2½oz butter, softened
• 200g/7oz self-raising flour
• 100g/3½oz light muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 dessert apples, about 350g/12oz before peeling
• 3 free-range eggs, beaten
• 1-2 tbsp demerara sugar, to taste
• 2 tbsp warmed, sieved apricot jam

Method

1. Set the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (160C fan).

2. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs (this can be done in a food processor). Stir in the sugar and cinnamon.

3. Peel the apples, core and dice two and a half apples and stir into the cake mixture with the eggs. Beat until combined.

4. Divide the cake mixture evenly between the cake tins. Thinly slice the remaining half of apple and arrange in a row along the middle on top of each cake. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden-brown, risen, firm to the touch in the centre and just shrinking from the sides of the tin.

5. Brush the top of the cakes with the apricot jam. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.