Blackberry and Apple Loaf

Thank you to Sarah in Alabama for some delicious cake recipes!

Serves 10

250g/9oz self raising flour

175g/6oz butter

175g/6oz light muscovado sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 rounded tbsp demerara sugar

1 small eating apple, unpeeled, coarsely grated down to the core

2 large eggs, beaten

finely grated zest of 1 orange

1 tsp baking powder

225g/8oz blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas 4). Butter and line the base of a 1kg/2lb loaf tin. Rub the flour, butter and muscovado sugar together to make fine crumbs. Reserve 5 tablespoons of this mixture for the topping and mix into it the cinnamon and demerara sugar. Set aside.

2. Mix the apple in with the eggs and the zest. Stir in the baking powder into the rubbed-in mixture, then quickly and lightly stir in the egg mixture. Don’t overmix.

3. Gently fold in three quarters of the berries. Spoon into the tin and level. Scatter the rest of the berries on top. Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, testing with a skewer. After 50 minutes, cover loosely with foil. Leave in the tin for 30 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

Tip: Raspberries and tayberries could be used instead of blackberries. Frozen blackberries can also be used, but defrost them first and drain off any juice before adding to the mixture. This stops the cake becoming too soggy.