Apple cake

It is that time of the year; schools have started again, the days are shortening, and Heel Holland Bakt is back on tv. HHB is the Dutch version of The Great British Bake-Off (which has also started again, but on one of the commercial British channels, so I can no longer watch it) and although not as good, it still gets you back into the baking spirit. So that is what I did, last weekend.
I'd made my family's apple cake recipe a while back (in 2014, even!), but this one came from a more distinguished source: Mary Berry herself. If she can't be on Bake-Off anymore, I can at least channel her baking spirit at home!

Ingredients
225 g butter
225 g muscovado sugar
225 g self-raising flour
(I just love this about cakes, just put the same amounts of butter, sugar and flour together, add some eggs, and ta-da: a cake!)
3 eggs (I used 4, but they were really small)
(baking powder)
100 g chopped walnuts
100 g raisins
400 g apples, cut in small pieces (I always keep the peel on, but you can take it off)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
As ever, mix the butter, sugar, flour and (if you're using it) baking powder together in a bowl. I always mix the 'dry' stuff (flour, sugar and baking powder) together first, before I add the softened butter in small lumps. Then add the eggs, until you get a fairly standard cake mixture. Mix thoroughly for about two minutes. Finally, add the chopped walnuts and raisins, and give it a final mix. I also added some cinnamon at this point, but it's not in the 'official' recipe.
Pour half of the mixture into your prepared (buttered and lined with baking parchment) cake tin. Then pour the apples and cinnamon in a layer on top, spreading it out evenly. Finally, pour the rest of your cake mixture on top. Make sure the edges are made of cake mixture, not apple, or you will have apples poking out of the side of your cake (as I did).
To finish off, sprinkle the top with more walnuts and muscovado sugar. You can leave some lumps in the sugar, but not too big, as it will just give you a mouthful of rock hard sugar when you eat it.
Bake for about an hour and a half, until golden brown and firm (mine was done in an hour and 20 minutes).

Pretty pretty apple cake

Looking good, right? It tasted good, too! Very autumny, with the soft juicy apple and the chopped nuts. If I were to make it again, I'd add some more spices (maybe the 'speculaaskruiden', or just some cardamom and nutmeg), but other than that it was a good start to the baking season!