JULIA’S APPLE AND BLACKBERRY CAKE (Serves 8-10)

200g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
Seeds scraped from a vanilla pod or 1tsp vanilla extract
Zest of a lemon
200g full fat sour cream
200g self-raising flour
2 apples
125g blackberries, plus extra to serve

Cinnamon Topping

1tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2tbsp caster sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon

crème fraîche, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 24cm round springform cake tin.

In the bowl of an stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter for 2-3 minutes or until very fluffy and pale. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream and continue to mix. Now tip in the flour and mix on a low speed until just combined.

Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and cut out the core (alternatively core the apples with an apple corer before you quarter them). Slice the quarters into 3mm slices and gently fold into the cake, along with the blackberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and while the cake is still hot, brush the cake with the melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over. Allow to cool completely in the tin (although eating it warm is lovely too) then transfer to a serving plate. Pile fresh blackberries onto the cake and serve slices with a generous dollop of crème fraîche.

What else I’m eating this month:

The Baker Bleu croissants at Napier Quarter, where they’re served with seasonal house-made preserves and butter.

What else I’m cooking with:

Plums, figs and new season potatoes which are incredible right now.

You can follow Julia’s food adventures on Instagram and find more recipes via her website – and stay tuned for her brand new BOOK, due for release next month!