One of my favourite bakes is a recipe for apple cake I created many years ago. This is a version of the same recipe but made up into individual cakes, which could be served warm as a dinner party dessert or cold as a delicious picnic treat.
Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need six 7cm/2¾in cooking rings.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Grease the inside of the cooking rings with a little butter and dust with flour. Arrange the cooking rings on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Pour the melted butter into a large bowl. Add the sugar, flour, egg and almond extract and mix together until combined.
Spoon a little of the mixture into the base of each ring, arrange some of the apple slices over the batter and spoon the remaining cake mixture on top, levelling with the back of a teaspoon.
Scatter each cake with flaked almonds. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until well risen and golden-brown.
Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes before removing the rings. Serve warm with a dollop of crème fraîche.
Tip 1: If you don’t have cooking rings you can make your own using small (200g/7oz) baked bean tins. Remove the top and bottom of each tin and grease with butter and dust with flour, taking care with the sharp edges, before filling with the cake mixture. Alternatively, you could use any straight-sided bun tins with a loose bottom.
Tip 2: It is important to weigh all the ingredients accurately or a dip may appear in the top of the cakes due to the moisture in the apple.
Tip 3: These can be made in advance and stored in an airtight tin for 3 days. The cooked cakes also freeze well.
