Traditional English Apple Traybake - Apple Pudding Cake

A simple and easy to whip up apple sponge cake; baked in a tray for easy serving - cut into bars or squares for picnics, school or office lunch boxes & for tea time treats! It is DIVINE served hot with cream,custard or ice cream for a great Autumn/Fall pudding. This type of cake is often called Dorset or Somerset Apple cake, but it is really quite popular in nearly all of the English counties, especially during apple harvest season. I have stipulated Bramley apples, which are English cooking apples - in the absence of these, any tart or sharp "Appley" flavoured or regional "cooking" apples will do.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 16 Slices

Ingredients

• 1  lb  bramley cooking apple
• 1⁄2  lemon, juice of
• 8  ounces butter, softened
• 10  ounces  golden caster sugar
• 4  eggs
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12  ounces self raising flour
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 2  tablespoons demerara sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F or Gas mark 4.
2. Grease & line a rectangular baking tray - approx 9" x 7" or 27 cms x 20 cms.
3. Peel, core & thinly slice apples; squeeze the lemon juice over them to stop them discolouring and set them to one side.
4. Place butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour & baking powder into a large roomy mixing bowl & mix well until smooth. You can use an electric hand whisk if it's easier.
5. Spread half of the cake/pudding mixture into the prepared tin. Arrange half of the apples over the top of the mixture.
6. Repeat the layer with the remaining half of cake/pudding mixture & apples - the apples should be arranged over the top of the cake/pudding mixture.
7. Sprinkle over with the demerara sugar.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown, well risen & springy to the touch.
9. Leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes & then cut into squares or bars.
10. Wait until the cake has completely cooled before removing the cake & the baking paper from the tin - store in an airtight tin or container.
11. If you wish to serve this warm as a pudding, wait 5-10 minutes and then cut and serve with cream, custard or ice cream.
12. It can also be microwaved too, for a future hot pudding!