Harvest Cake - Blackberry & Apple Crumble Cake

Juicy blackberries are just right for a sweet crumble cake

Blackberry and Apple Crumble Cake

The blackberries are ripe, although not so many as last year, and the apples are falling off the trees now, so what better time to make a harvest-flavours crumble cake for my Seniors Lunch Group?

The cake is similar to the rhubarb crumble cake and the gooseberry crumble cake I made earlier in the year. The blackberries add a lovely texture and colour and the apple gives a richness and juiciness.  A crumble is always a good end to a meal and a crumble cake is convenient to portion up and serve with some whipped cream if you need to take it round to a friend or to a group.

Our theme this week was Agatha Christie, everyone’s favourite crime author, and lots to talk about. Our preferred Christie detective was Poirot, with a strong following for Miss Marple too, of course. Our favourite novel was "Death on the Nile", although there are so many to choose from, it’s difficult to select the top.  We had a lot of fun, discussing plots, villains, and Christie’s life and works, along with a quiz and a slide show.
 
Makes 12-15 pieces                                        Timings:  80 minutes
 

• 125g fresh blackberries
  
• 125g cooking apple pieces (peel, core and slice the apples finely)
  
• 200g self raising flour, sieved
  
• 200g salted butter
  
• 200g caster sugar
  
• 5g vanilla sugar or a teaspoon of vanilla essence
  
• 4 eggs

For the crumble topping:  150g plain flour, 75g butter, 75g dark brown sugar, a handful of porridge oats

Pre heat the oven to 180°C.  Grease and line with baking paper a 22cm square loose bottomed cake tin.

Make the crumble topping:  with the pastry paddle of the mixer or with the tips of your fingers, mix the butter into the plain flour until you get a texture like fine breadcrumbs. Mix through the brown sugar and the handful of oats and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy, add the eggs one at a time with a spoonful of flour, then add the rest of the flour. Beat until creamy.

Scoop the cake mixture into your tin and smooth it evenly. Sprinkle the blackberries and apple slices on top. Spoon the crumble mixture over the whole cake.

Bake for about 40 minutes until brown on top and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then cool on a wire rack.

The centre of the cake retains a pudding like texture as it is quite juicy, so be careful when you get it out of the tin as it might crack.

Serve in squares, sprinkled with icing sugar and with a swirl of whipped cream.

Keeps in an airtight tin or in the fridge for 2-3 days.