We have my big sister Dina to thank for this recipe. It’s a bit of an odd method for a cake because she rubs the butter into the flour, but I’m pretty scared of my big sis so would never dare to question her. It tastes completely lovely anyway.
Ingredients
- 6 oz (175 g) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 9 oz (250 g) self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3½ oz (100 g)muscovado or caster sugar
- 3½ oz (100 g) caster sugar
- 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 finely grated unwaxed lemon zest
- 1 small eating apple, peeled and grated
- 8 oz (225 g) blackberries (fine to use canned, no one will ever know!)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin with a strip of baking parchment long enough to hang over each end of the tin. This will help you pull the loaf out later. Line the base with more baking parchment.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl. Add the sugars and cinnamon.
- Rub the softened butter into the mixture until it forms fine crumbs. Set aside.
- Put the eggs in a separate bowl and stir in the lemon zest and apple.
- Make a well in the flour mixture and quickly stir in the egg and apple mixture. Fold in two-thirds of the blackberries, then spoon the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle the remaining berries on top.
- Bake for 1 hour, then insert a skewer into the centre of the cake: if it comes out clean, the loaf cake is ready. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cake rack by pulling on the baking parchment strip. Make sure to leave the cake baked-side up. Leave until completely cold if you have that much self-control.