Butterscotch Apple Cake

I just fancied a proper piece of cake this week. No glazing, no icing, just a nice piece of old school cake with a cup of tea. I settled on this easy apple cake recipe, with a sponge flavoured with white chocolate and vanilla, which I think adds a lovely rich note of butterscotch. It'll keep for a couple of days, but in my humble opinion it's best freshly made and warm, with a little cold cream and (as you can guess) a lovely hot drink.

prep time: 20 Mins
Baking time: 45-50 Mins
75g White Chocolate
175g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
175g Light Muscovado Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Baking Powder
200g Plain Flour

3 Dessert Apples (I just used some golden delicious I had left over)
2tbsp Light Muscovado Sugar

Start off by preheating the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and greasing a 23cm springform tin, lining the base with baking paper. Melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave (if you're confident in your timings), then set aside to cool a bit whilst you get on with the sponge.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract. Sift in the baking powder and flour, tip in the melted chocolate and mix it all together to a smooth batter. Spoon into your prepared tin and level out to the edges.

peel and core the apples and slice thinly. Toss them in a bowl with the 2tbsp of sugar, then carefully arrange on top of the cake, laying the edges of each slice over one another to cover any gaps. Place in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes, until a metal skewer can be cleanly removed when inserted into the middle of the cake. When you're happy it's cooked remove it from the oven, leave in the tin for about 15 minutes, then carefully turn out and leave to cool until just warm on a wire rack. Slice and put the kettle on!