dillymug 
I had a bit of a baking spurt towards the end of last week starting with this blackberry and apple loaf cake. Mr Birdie’s mum and dad came to stay a couple of weeks ago and we ventured out for a walk through our local countryside to the beach (stopping for coffee and cake of course). I managed to probably double the length of time we took by stopping to pick blackberries. I was surprised to find so many that were still pickable (is that even a word? If not it should be!) I did consider this Bramley and blackberry traybake but we are still (yes still!) without a hob so instead I opted for this Jo Wheatley recipe which is in her ‘A Passion for Baking’ book.
This went down well in the staff room at work and is quick and easy to prepare. You will need a 900g (2lb) loaf tin. I did find that mine slightly overflowed so beware some spillages! Please excuse the photos taken on my phone – they’re not the best and I did make this is in a bit of a rush! Apologies as well for the background of the photos – I think we may have the longest ever kitchen refurbishment in history.
Ingredients:
Topping
60g unsalted butter (chilled and diced)
80g plain flour
2 heaped tablespoons demerara sugar
Cake
170g self-raising flour
170g unsalted butter (softened)
170g caster sugar
3 large eggs (beaten)
170g (prepared weight) apples such as Braeburn’s or Cox’s (peeled, cored and diced)
70g blackberries
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Butter the inside of your loaf tin and line the base and ends with a strip of buttered baking parchment.
2) Combine the topping ingredients: rub the butter into the flour and sugar either in a food processor or using your hands. Once the mixture reaches a crumble/breadcrumb consistency put it to one side while you make the cake batter.
3) Prepare your apples by peeling, coring and dicing them.
4) Tip the flour, butter, sugar and eggs into a bowl and using either a free-standing mixer or an electric hand whisk, beat until light and creamy. Gently fold in the diced apples amd blackberries usinf a large metal spoon.
5) Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread level and sprinkle over the crumble topping in an even layer.
6) Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes away cleanly.
7) Cool the cake into the tin for about 5 minuted and then carefully lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
