Apple Streusel Cake

This recipe is from The Hummingbird Bakery's second book; Cake Days. If you like crumble, this one is for you. Serve warm with custard or cold with a cup of earl grey.

Sponge

60g softened unsalted butter

140g plain flour

100g caster sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

80 ml whole milk

3 Granny Smith apples

Streusel topping

70g plain flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

40g unsalted butter, chilled & diced

70g soft light brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 170oc.

Grease & line one 20cm cake tin.

First make the streusel topping.  Sift the flour and ground cinnamon into a bowl.  Add butter and, using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until they resemble breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and set aside while you make the sponge batter.

Using a hand-held whisk cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla extract, and mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add half of this mixture to the creamed butter and sugar, followed by half of the milk.  Mix well on a medium speed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl, then repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients and the milk. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Peel, core and slice the apples into quarters and each quarter into 3 or 4 slices, depending on the size of the apples.  Arrange the slices in concentric circles on top of the cake batter, then sprinkle with the streusel topping, making sure it forms and even layer.

Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until it's golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, with no uncooked mixture sticking to it.  Set aside to cool, and then remove from the cake tin.