This moist, crumbly fruit cake conceals a layer of tart Caerphilly cheese, which perfectly complements the sweet tang of the dessert apples. Serve while still slightly warm - to accentuate the flavours. Alternatively, you will find that the cake reheats well.
The recipe is adapted from Cakes & Biscuits by Good Housekeeping.
Ingredients:
575 g apples
50 g brazil nuts
175 g self-raising white flour
1 sachet baking powder (= 1 tsp)
75 g light muscovado sugar
50 g raisins
50 g sultanas
2 eggs
90 ml sunflower oil
225 g Caerphilly cheese (can be replaced by any similar cheese, such as Wensleydale or Lancashire)
icing sugar for sprinkling
Method:
Peel, core and chop the apples. Roughly chop the nuts.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, stir in the sugar, raisins, sultanas, nuts.
Add the apples and mix until evenly combined.
Beat the eggs with the oil in a separate bowl.
Add them to the dry ingredients. Stir until all the flour mixture is moistened and evenly incorporated.
Turn half the mixture into a greased and lined 20 cm deep round tin.
Crumble the cheese over the surface, to within 1 cm of the edges.
Cover with the remaining cake mixture. Roughly spread the mixture to the edges of the tin.
Bake in a preheated oven (180 C, fan 160 C) for 50 min to 1 hour until golden and just firm.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
Serve warm, with a nice cup of tea or coffee!
Bon Appetit!
