UPSIDE-DOWN GREEN APPLE AND FRESH MINT CAKE

Recipe

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons to bake in, due to the abundance of new season apples and pears – and you could use either in this cake. Upside-down cakes are brilliant because they don't need icing, so there's no pressure to wait for them to cool before digging in.

SERVES 12

FOR THE CAKE

3 green apples, washed and skin left on
2 tbsp liquid honey
200g butter, softened
180g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 organic eggs
150g ground almonds
100g spelt or plain flour
3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

TO DECORATE

Drizzle of liquid honey

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan bake. Line a 22cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Cut 1½ of the apples into thin half moon segments. Cut the remaining apples into 1cm cubes.
  3. First, arrange the apple segments into the lined tin in an orderly spiral fashion. Drizzle with the honey.
  4. Next, make the batter. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale, light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Gradually fold in the ground almonds and flour. Finally, by hand, fold through the chopped mint leaves and apple cubes. Spoon the batter gently over the apple in the tin and spread out to the sides.
  5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  6. Allow the cake to cool for around 20 minutes before turning out upside down onto a serving plate.
  7. Drizzle with some more liquid honey. Serve warm with Greek or coconut yoghurt.
  8. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.