Blackberry and Apple Cake

For my Daughter's Birthday treat we paid a visit to Chessington World of Adventures last week.  It's one of our family's favorite days out with the kids and if you have preschoolers (like us) they have a fantastic deal for Parents and Toddlers.  I was glad we got to get in that one last visit before Summer has officially come to an end and Ayla starts "Big Kid School".

On the way there I noticed one of the local farms had a sign out to come and pick your own Strawberries.  I thought it would be a fantastic way to spend a morning with the kids so we made plans to go the next day.  The kids had a blast at Parkside Farm in Enfield picking their own Strawberries and Blackberries.  Honestly the best berries I have ever tasted and we may have gone a bit overboard with the picking :)

They are definetly too good to go to waste, so this morning with a bit of help from my Daughter we baked ourselves a Blackberry and Apple Cake.  It was the perfect day for it.  After a couple of hot summer days this weekend today is windy and has that hint of Autumn in the air.  The smell of Berries and Cinnamon through the house is just heavenly.  If your in the mood for a bit of  comfort food I highly recommend you try this.

Blackberry and Apple Cake

Ingredients

• 250g (1 Cup) Self-Raising Flour  
• 175g (3/4 Cup) Butter 
• 175g (3/4 Cup) Light Muscovado Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Rounded tbsp demerara sugar
• 1 small apple
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 225g (1 Cup) Blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C. Butter and line the bottom of a 1.7 litre loaf tin (see tip below). In a large bowl, rub the flour, butter and muscovado sugar together with your fingers to make fine crumbs. Measure out 5 level tbsp of this mixture into a small bowl for the topping, and mix in to it the cinnamon and demerara sugar. Set aside.
2. Coarsely grate the apple down to the core and mix in with the eggs and the zest. Stir the baking powder into the rubbed-in mixture in the large bowl, then quickly and lightly stir in the egg mixture until it drops lightly from the spoon. Don't overmix.
3. Gently fold in three quarters of the berries with a metal spoon, trying not to break them up. Spoon into the tin and level. Scatter the rest of the berries on top. Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 1¼ -1 hour 20 minutes. Check after 50 minutes and cover loosely with foil if it is browning too much. When done the cake will feel firm, but test with a skewer.
4. Leave in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out, then cool on a wire rack. Peel off the paper before cutting. Will keep wrapped in foil or in a tin for up to 2 days.

Watching the time
A 9x20x13cm loaf tin is ideal, but if yours is shallower, the cake may cook faster, so test after an hour.


Recipe courtesy of BBC Good Food