Show up on Mother’s Day with this fragrant apple, almond and cinnamon-spiced cake, a  bunch of flowers and a big hug and any Mum would feel spoilt! It works well as an afternoon tea treat, or as a dessert, with a swirl of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream on the side.

You will need…

Topping

• 50g plain flour, 20g jumbo oats, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 40g unsalted butter, 60g light brown muscovado sugar, (optional: 30g crushed pecan nuts)

Base

• 60g unsalted butter, 120g plain flour, 20g ground almonds, 100g golden caster sugar, 2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 80ml milk

Filling

• 3 dessert apples (I used Braeburns), 50g sultanas soaked in a dessertspoon of apple juice until plump

To make…

• Heat up the apple juice in a small pan, add the sultanas and stir gently until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C.
• Grease a 20cm springform cake tin with a little butter and line the base with baking parchment.
• To make the topping, mix the flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour just as you would for a crumble. Set aside.
• To make the base, cream the butter and sugar together in another bowl until light and fluffy, it’s easier with an electric whisk if you have one. Gradually add in the beaten egg and then fold in the flour, ground almonds and vanilla. Now mix in the milk and pour the batter into the cake tin.
• Peel, core and slice the apples and then arrange them in neat, even layers over the batter. Lay down one layer of apple, then sprinkle over the sultanas. Add the final apple layer and sprinkle evenly with the topping.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 40 minutes. Set a timer for 35 minutes so you can check how it’s going and add up to another 10 minutes baking time if you need it. It should be golden brown on top and a skewer should come out cleanly when inserted into the centre.
• Remove from the oven when cooked and leave in the tin to cool before you try to release it from the tin. Slide it off the base and peel away the baking parchment – allow to cool further on a rack.
• Serve it warm or cold with a little whipped cream on the side.

Happy #MothersDay!

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