There’s arguably no better way to celebrate the autumnal harvests of the British countryside than with an apple and blackberry crumble. That’s the thinking behind our new cake of the season: a butter- rich sponge cake studded with tart British Bramley apples, filled with blackberry compote and topped with a decadent crumble.
We hope you’ll stop by your local GAIL’s bakery and try one. But in the meantime, here’s a recipe to make a full-sized version at home. Rich and comforting, it makes the perfect reward after a long, blustery autumnal walk, especially when enjoyed with a cup of tea, feet up in front of the fire.
INGREDIENTS
Spice mix
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
Crumble topping
125g plain flour
40g caster sugar
85g cold cubed butter
Cake mix
180g unsalted butter (room temp)
225g plain flour
230g caster sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate soda
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp spice mix
200g Bramley apples peeled, cored and diced into 2cm pieces
150g fresh blackberries for topping
150g crumble mix
METHOD
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Preheat oven to 140°C fan or 160°C conventional. Grease and line a deep, 20cm springform cake tin.
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Combine your spice mix ingredients and put to one side.
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Prepare the crumble. In a blender, pulse the flour and sugar together. Add the cubed butter and pulse until you get a crumble consistency. Put the crumble to one side.
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For the cake mix, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until smooth.
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With the mixer running, add one egg at a time (ensuring each one is fully incorporated) and then add the vanilla.
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In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, bicarbonate, baking powder and spice mix. Beat this mix into the batter, which should become relatively stiff.
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Fold in the diced Bramley apples.
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Pour the mix into the cake tin and level it with a spatula.
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Decorate the top with fresh blackberries and then the crumble mix.
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Bake for 45-60 minutes.
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Allow the cake to cool fully in the tin.
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Dust with icing sugar and serve with creme fraiche.
