Apple and Date Crumble Cake

Submitted by Mrs B

"It may have the word “cake” in the title and you will end up with a cake shaped dessert, but in reality this is a recipe for an honest to goodness, old fashioned, winter warmer of a PUDDING! I made this for our Sunday meal and my DH thought it was so good he told all his work colleagues about it the next day! I think this pud works best with lashings of hot custard, but cream is good too! Use good quality ‘cookers’ (such as Bramleys if you can get them). This recipe comes from the 2005 edition of the annual BBC Good Food “Vegetarian Christmas” magazine."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• Crumble Topping

• 2 ounces plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 ounces butter

• Cake

• 6 ounces butter, at room temperature
• 6 ounces caster sugar (superfine)
• 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 6 ounces self raising flour, sifted
• 2 ounces stoned dates, chopped
• 12 ounces tart baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F, 190C, gas mark 5: butter an 8 inch (20cm) round springform tin and base-line with buttered baking parchment.
2. To make the crumble topping, sift the flour and ginger into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (you don’t have to be too precise about this as the topping melts into the cake during baking): stir in the sugar and set aside.
3. For the cake mixture, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy; gradually beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the flour with each egg to prevent curdling: fold the remaining flour and chopped dates into the mixture.
4. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and when it is all in the tin, finish off by making a slight hollow in the centre with the back of a spoon: layer the sliced apples evenly over the top of the cake mixture, pressing the slices down slightly as you work: scatter the crumble mix over the top.
5. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean: cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then serve warm with custard or cream.