Filled to bursting with apples and topped with a nutty streusel, this tender, slightly sweet cake is a great snack or dessert
- 600 g Granny Smith apples* peeled, cored and chopped into small chunks
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 125 g muscovado sugar or dark brown sugar
- 2 medium organic eggs separated
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract optional but nice
- 100 g plain flour
- 100 g wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 50 g plain yogurt or buttermilk or kefir
- 50 g milk of any kind
- 1 tsp anise seeds or fennel seeds lightly toasted and finely ground
- 25 g oats
- 40 g muscovado sugar or dark brown sugar
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 70 g mixed seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and linseed
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First of all, sort the apples. Put the apples in a saucepan along with the lemon juice and cook on a medium flame just until the apples pieces have softened - about 10 minutes. If you are using another type of apple that "falls" quite quickly to apple sauce, this will take much less time. You ideally want the edges just to look "blurred" and them still to be distinct pieces. If the apples go very soft the cake will still be good, but just not as light in texture. Once cooked, set aside to cool a bit.
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Now make the streusel. Pop all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse or process until just mixed and still nubbly. Set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/350F. Completely line a 20 cm loose-bottomed round cake tin with non-stick baking parchment.
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Put the egg whites in a clean, oil-free bowl and use electric beaters to whisk to soft peaks.
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Put the softened butter, the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and almond extracts, baking powder, flours, yogurt, milk and ground anise seeds/fennel seeds into a large, wide mixing bowl. Use electric beaters to mix until very smooth - about two minutes.
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Fold in the cooled apples, followed by the whipped egg whites. Fold just until the whites disappear into the batter.
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Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and evenly crumble over the streusel mixture.
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Bake in the preheated oven for up to an hour, checking at around 50 minutes. Look for the cake to be pulling away at the sides and the overall cake to be a lovely golden brown.
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Remove the cake from the oven and onto a cooling rack. Leave it for about half an hour before releasing the cake from the tin to cool further, removing the bottom bit and baking paper when mostly cool.
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This cake will keep well for up to five days in a sealed cake tin.
You can use any apples that you like. My own garden apples fall very easily to soft pale lumps. With apples that fall very easily you can either cook them until soft and collapsing, or add them in raw. If doing the former the texture of the cake will be close rather than lighter. More like a pudding cake. If you add them in raw, make sure that the pieces are small cubes.
Feel free to leave out the anise seeds or fennel seeds. We like the subtle taste of both of these; they complement the apple very well. You may like to use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon instead, or in the streusel.
Serving suggestions: with a fruit compote, such as plums cooked down with frozen berries; with crème fraîche or ice cream; a dusting of icing (confectioner's) sugar.