I have three Bramley apple trees in my garden and in the autumn I pick cook and freeze apples, some sliced, some diced and some pureed. Throughout the year I can then make apple cakes, pies and crumbles.
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One of my favourite things I like to make is cider apple curd which is delicious spread on toast, folded into yoghurt as a pudding or into custard to make a fruit fool. This may seem a long recipe but if you make the apple curd in advance and have some defrosted apple puree it is mainly the baking of the cake and the assembly time that is needed.

This new recipe is for a cinnamon sponge with a goodly amount of cider that intensifies the apple flavour. The cakes are brushed with a cider syrup whilst still warm from the oven.

The addition of a layer of sharp tangy apple curd alternated with a toffee cream layer then Chantilly cream makes it a winning combination .

What you will need

• Two 9 inch loose bottomed baking pans , line the bases with either silicon rounds and use grease the sides or use PME cake release spray or similar. Or you can use four 6 inch pans and then you won’t have to split the cakes.
• A stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, depending on what you have.
•  Disposable piping bags,
  A piping nozzle Wilton 6 point 2D ( if pipes roses and swirls)

Ingredients for the cake

• 170 g eggs lightly beaten
• 170 g caster sugar
• 170 g soft margarine (I use Stork) 170 g self-raising flour
• 4 g baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sweet cider
• 3 drops of cinnamon extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cider syrup

• 60 ml sweet cider
• 60g caster sugar

Toffee cream

• 1 tin of Carnation caramel, keep back 2 tablespoon to drizzle on top of the cake if liked 100 ml double cream whipped to soft peak stage

Apple Curd

• 680 g Bramley apples
• 340 g sugar
• 200 ml Sheppy’s classic draught cider to cook the apples in
• 113 g unsalted butter
• 2 eggs beaten lightly
• 100 ml cider
• 1-2 teaspoon ground cinnamon depending on your love of cinnamon

Apple Chantilly Cream

• 600 ml double cream
• 1 heaped tablespoon dried milk powder
• 1 heaped tablespoon icing sugar
• 350 g of apple curd
• 3 tablespoons of sweet cider
• 2 drops of cinnamon extract
• Half a teaspoon vanilla extract
• A few raspberries to decorate the finished cake.

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​Method
Set the oven 160C fan,180-190C, 350-375F, gas 4-5

To make the cakes

1. Weigh the eggs and then add the same weight of all the other ingredients except the cider and extracts into a stand mixer or beat with a hand electric mixer. Beat them for one minute then allow to rest for one minute then beat for two minutes.
2. Fold in the cider a tablespoon at a time then lastly fold in the cinnamon and vanilla extract
3.  Divide the mixture between the two or 4 baking pans and hollow out a little in the middle to allow the cake to rise but be flat when baked.Bake for 35-40 minutes.

To make the cider syrup

1. Whilst the cake is baking prepare the cider syrup, place the cider and sugar in a pan over a gentle heat, allow the sugar to dissolve and then bring to the boil. Let the pan simmer until the syrup is reduced by a half then take off the heat until needed.
2. After 35 minutes in the oven check to see if the cakes are baked. Cakes love to be listened to, they have so much to say! If they are too noisy then put them back in the oven for another 2 minutes and that should do it.
3. When the cakes are baked leave them in the pans for two minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Brush the tops with the cider syrup and leave to cool completely.

To make the apple curd,
I usually make this a day or so before I make the cake

1. Place 3 one pound jam jars in the oven at 100C fan oven.
   You can make this whist the cakes are cooling or you can make earlier and use when required as once made and sealed in jars the curd will keep unopened for up to 3 months in the fridge. This quantity of ingredients makes 3 pound jars of curd.
2. Peel and cut the apples into small slices and place in a pan with the 200 ml of cider and cook gently stirring continuously allowing the apples to become soft and collapse, continue to stir until you have a fine pulp.
3. Put the butter, and eggs in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, when the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved add the beaten eggs, apple and ground cinnamon.
   Stir with a wooden spoon over the hot water until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
4. You can use a microwave instead of over boiling water.
   If using a microwave place the apples with 200 ml cider in a microwavable bowl, cooking the microwave for bursts of 4 minutes on half power, after 4 minutes stir and microwave for a further 4 minutes repeat this until the apples have become pulp.
5. Place the butter, sugar and 100 ml cider in a microwavable bowl and heat on medium power for 1 minute until the butter and sugar are dissolved.
   ​* Do not over heat the mixture at this stage or when you add the eggs they will become

scrambled in the hot mixture.
Add the beaten eggs, apple pulp and cinnamon stirring in well, microwave for one minute at a time stirring in between microwaving, and continue until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour the curd into the warmed jars, cover with waxed paper lids and then lids.Label and add the date made.

To make the toffee cream

1. Place the carnation caramel in a bowl and beat until smooth.
   In a separate bowl beat the double cream until soft peak stage, gently fold the cream into the caramel.

To make the apple Chantilly cream

1. Place the double cream in a bowl with the dried milk and icing sugar.
   Using either a stand mixer or hand electric mixer with a whisk attachment whip the cream for one minute and then allow to stand for five minutes to allow any lumps in the milk or icing sugar to dissolve.
   Continue to whip until it begins to form stiff peaks. Gradually add the cider in a steady trickle as you continue to beat on slow until it is blended in.
2. Finally gently fold in the cinnamon, vanilla extract and apple curd then place it in the fridge until needed.

To assemble the cake

1. With a sharp serrated knife cut each cake horizontally so that you have 4 layers. If you made 4 cakes then skip this step.
2. Place a cake board on a cake turntable.
3. Place a spoonful of cream on the cake board and place one cake layer on the board
4. Cut side down, spread with about 3 tablespoons of Chantilly cream, on to this gently spread 3 tablespoons of toffee cream followed by 3 tablespoons of apple curd. Continue to stack the cake in this way until the last cake layer is added.
5. Place cream around the sides and create a “semi naked “ finish to the sides of the cake (that is spread with cream to fill all the gaps and then with a cake scraper scrape off the excess cream).
   
6. Finally spread the top of the cake with a layer of cream.
   
7. Place a size 2 nozzle into a disposable piping bag and half fill with a quantity of the Chantilly cream.
   
8. Holding the bag vertically about 3 cm above the cake pipe swirls around the cake.
   
9. In a separate piping bag place a little of the remaining caramel, snip the end of the piping bag to allow the caramel to be drizzled over the top of the cake.

Place in the fridge for three-four hours to chill before serving.