Ingredients

• 3 sharp eating apples
• peeled
• cored and chopped
• 1 lemon
• juice only
• 300g/10½g golden caster sugar
• 8 free-range eggs
• 325g/11½oz ground almonds
• ½ tsp almond essence
• 50g/2oz flaked almonds
• icing sugar
• for sprinkling

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/375F/Gas 4. Lightly grease and line the base of a 25cm/10in springform tin with a little oil.
• Place the apples into a pan with half the lemon juice and two tablespoons of the caster sugar. Bring to a simmer
• cover and cook on a low heat for about 7-9 minutes or until the apples are soft enough to roughly mash with a fork. Do not over-mash
• though. You still want a little bite and texture. Leave to cool.
• Put the cooled purée
• eggs
• ground almonds
• almond essence
• remaining caster sugar and approximately one tablespoon of the remaining lemon juice into a food processor and blend together. Pour into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
• Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes
• and if the cake is getting too brown cover the top with parchment paper or foil.
• Leave to cool slightly before you remove the cake from the tin. This is delicious served warm or cold with a generous sprinkling of icing sugar.