This is a lovely easy to make cake. Use a good quality eating apple for best results. I baked this for dessert on Saturday and my husband loved it. He might have had thirds if there had been any left.

Apple Caramel Cake

INGREDIENTS

For the Apples

• 4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 50g caster sugar
• 30g salted butter

For the Cake

• 4 eggs, separated
• 120g caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 115g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 500ml whole milk, at room temperature

METHOD

1. To make the caramel apples, place the apples with the sugar in a frying pan and cook until the apples have caramelized. Stir in the butter and then set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan. Grease a 24cm cake tin with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Do not use a loose-bottomed tin, as the batter is quite liquid and will leak.
3. In a bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale. Melt the butter in a microwave and beat into the eggs. Add the vanilla essence.
4. Stir in the flour and salt and beat until smooth. Pour in the milk a little at a time and beat until smooth and incorporated.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Using a large balloon whisk, fold the egg whites into the batter.
6. Arrange the apple slices in overlapping circles into the bottom of the cake tin, keeping aside 3 – 4 slices for decoration.
7. Pour the batter over the apples. Smooth the surface and bake in the preheated oven for 50 – 55 minutes.
8. The cake should have a slight wobble when it comes out of the oven. Leave to cool in the tin and then refrigerate for 2 hours before turning it out.
9. Decorate using the remaining apple slices.

Tip: If you like, pour some extra caramel sauce over the cake before serving.