Spiced Apple Cake Slice

Today was a bit of a lazy day. My son was up in the night so I was feeling really tired, I had zero motivation to take him anywhere (bad mothering I know!) and I felt like baking something tasty but easy. 

I always think if you are baking something with a fruit or vegetable in it, that instantly makes it healthy, right?! For example carrot cake, banana bread and this beautiful spiced apple cake! 

A dear friend gave me this recipe years ago, but I'm sure I only made it for the first time this year! I couldn't even really remember what it was meant to look or taste like, but I knew I liked it when she baked it! I really like anything that has cinnamon in it- blueberry muffins, cinnamon scrolls, carrot cake, pumpkin pie (ooh remind me to blog a recipe for that!)

How much do you love this hand-written note?! It makes it even more special. But because of this, I have no idea of the recipe source. So apologies for not being able to give someone credit!

Anyway, this is a super easy, mix-it-all-in together recipe. Even though it has two layers- it's very quick!

And the softness of the cake layer with the crunchy topping would actually make it suitable for a dessert. Perfect warm with custard or cream or ice cream or all three!

Enjoy!

Spiced Apple Cake

Ingredients

Base

125g butter
2 apples (I think any type will do, I used Royal Gala)
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon all spice
pinch of salt

Topping

50g butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

Melt butter, grate all of the apple into the butter, then add sugar and beaten egg.
Mix together. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 
Pour into a prepared tin (I use a square baking dish!)

Mix all of the topping ingredients together and then sprinkle over the base. 
Bake at 180 degrees C for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

I have to emphasise how easy this really is. And foolproof. Once I had done the base today, I had to get my son up from his nap. So I left the base for a good 15 minutes or so before I even prepared the topping. And it made no difference! It still rose beautifully in the oven. It was light and fluffy to eat. Sometimes I wonder who makes up all these rules about cooking and baking and the timing of ingredients. 

I also forgot to put the timer on the microwave, and had no idea when I put the cake in the oven. So it was definitely a guesstimate on when I should take it out- hence the tip about using a skewer! 

And I think you could easily make it in a cake tin and serve it up as a cake.