Madhouse recipe : Apple Streusel Cake

50% apple pie, 50% apple crumble but 100% tasty ! This is a simple cake to throw together with things that you are likely to already have in the kitchen cupboards.

Apple Streusel Cake

ingredients :

for the cake :

130g plain flour

1tsp baking powder (or leave it out and use self-raising flour)

pinch of salt

4tbsp margarine

100g caster sugar

1 egg

1/2tsp vanilla extract

80ml milk

3 medium sized apples (I used golden delicious as it was what was in the bowl, but granny smith would be better)

for the streusel :

65g plain flour

55g light brown sugar

1tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

40g butter

demerera sugar to sprinkle on top for added crunch

You could rub the butter/margarine into the sugar then stir in the flour, before mixing in the egg and mix, but I was in a rush so I just dumped all the cake ingredients in a bowl and gave them a good mix !

After a few minutes, you'll end up with a sticky, firm dough.

Press into a greased spring-form tin with your fingers.

Peel, core and chop the apples into wedges and lay on top of the cake.

Put all the streusel ingredients in the (now empty) bowl and squish with a fork until the butter is mixed in with the other ingredients and it resembles coarse breadcrumbs/crumble. Scatter over the apples.

Bake at 180° for 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost clean.

Leave to cool before removing from the tin. Scatter with demerera sugar if you want to give it some extra crunch.

This can be eaten cold (it holds its shape well so is good for packed lunches) or, for extra indulgence, warm with whipped cream or ice cream.