Apple Loaf

Anyone else a little tired of teacakes, or is it just me? Apparently it's just me because I'm not hearing complaints from work colleagues yet.

Saying that, this Apple Loaf tasted marvellous! Moist like banana bread, but not as sweet and with added fruit so it's good for you...kind of.

Look at the amount of fruit in this teacake!

I think part of the reason I'm over baking teacakes already is the amount of rubbing in butter or lard into flour.

Thank goodness I'm not making pastry because our flat is as hot as the Sahara, especially when baking, so the butter can melt before I've finished rubbing it in.

I have to make sure my podcast or audio book has long enough left so I don't have to use my elbow to pick something new to listen to, and remove all my jewellery before I start the process.

After the rubbing in, we mix in the raisins & sultanas (although my pre-mix included peel too), sugar, and the chopped baking apples (Granny Smiths.) Pop it all in a greased baking tin and into the oven for about an hour (whilst I finish making the chocolate chip cookies.)

But the cake wasn't quite finished yet!

The final stage was to whip up some glace icing using icing sugar and water and coat the top of the teacake.

The recipe called for a thinly sliced apple as decoration, but my teacake wasn't very flat, and to be honest, I couldn't be bothered to slice another apple, so I just brushed icing over the top and left it to set.

Honestly, one of the best teacakes I've done so far from The Best of Mrs Beeton's Afternoon Tea. Moist, fruity but not too sweet, and the glace icing adds a little extra sweetness. Very good.

Apple Loaf

200g plain flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

100g butter

150g caster sugar

50g currants

100g seedless raisins

200g cooking apples (Granny Smiths)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 eggs

25ml milk

50g icing sugar

Grease a 23 x 13 x 7.5 cm loaf tin. Set the oven at 190C/gas 5. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and mixed spice into a large bowl. Rub in the butter. Add the sugar and dried fruit.

Peel and core the cooking apples, slice thinly, then toss in the lemon juice. Add to the dry mixture. Stir in the eggs and enough milk to make a soft, dropping consistency, Put the mixture in the prepared loaf tin.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Add enough cold water to the icing sugar to make a brushing consistency. Brush over the cake and leave to set before serving.