Go Back
Sliced Kentish apple cake on a wooden board showing diced apple chunks and a crackly demerara sugar crust

Classic Kentish Apple Cake with a Golden Sugar Crust

A plain Kentish apple sponge loaded with diced Bramley apples and topped with a crunchy demerara sugar crust.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Tea-Time Treat
Cuisine: British
Calories: 357
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g self-raising flour or plain flour plus 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder extra lift for the heavy apple batter
  • 150 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs large; room temperature
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest from about 1 lemon
  • 2 whole milk to 3 tbsp; to loosen the batter
  • 500 g Bramley apples peeled, cored, and diced into 1 cm pieces, weighed after prep
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar for the crunchy top
  • 1 pinch salt

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease a 20 cm / 8-inch springform tin and line the base with parchment.
  2. Peel, core, and dice the Bramley apples into 1 cm pieces. Set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the lemon zest.
  5. Sift the self-raising flour, baking powder, and salt over the batter. Fold in gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
  6. Fold in the diced apples, then add the milk a tablespoon at a time until the batter falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon.
  7. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Scatter the demerara sugar evenly over the surface.
  8. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden. Tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes if it's browning too fast.
  9. Cool the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then release the springform sides and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Slice and serve at room temperature, with a wedge of cheddar or a spoon of clotted cream if you like.

Notes

  • Use a springform tin so the sugar crust doesn't stick to the sides.
  • Weigh the apples after peeling and coring, not before.
  • Don't skip the lemon zest, it keeps the cake from tasting flat.
  • Trust the skewer test over the clock, the middle sinks if underbaked.