Spiced apple & almond cake

Serve this delicious apple and almond cake cold in the afternoon, or warm with a dollop of cream as a fruity dessert

What you need:

• 175g unsalted butter, softened
• 175g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 75ml sour cream, plus extra to serve (optional)
• 125g ground almonds
• 115g plain flour
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 Pink Lady Apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 25g flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar for sprinkling

What you do:

1. Heat the oven to 180ËšC/160ËšC fan ovens/gas 4
2. Grease a 20cm wide loose bottomed or spring form cake tin, and line the base with baking paper.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and then beat in the sour cream. The mixture may look as though it is curdling but don't panic as the next stage will bring it back to a creamier texture. Stir in the almonds, flour, mixed spice and baking powder, and you should have a thick cake batter.
4. Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared tin. Lay half of the apples on top and then spread the other half of the cake mixture on top of the apples.
5. Arrange the remaining of the apples over the cake mixture, in a neat pattern, overlapping slightly.
6. Finish off by scatter over flaked almonds and then the 1 tbsp demerara sugar.
   
7. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes, testing with a skewer after 1 hour. If it comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake, it is ready to come out of the oven. The top of the cake will be wonderfully golden, crispy and cracking slightly.
8. Leave to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve the cake warm or cold, cut into wedges just as it is or with a spoonful of sour cream.

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