Ingredients
| 200 g | dates, roughly chopped |
| 200 ml | milk (plus an extra splash) |
| 250 g | butter, softened (plus extra for greasing) |
| 280 g | self-raising flour |
| 200 g | light brown soft sugar |
| ½ tsp | baking powder |
| 4 | large eggs |
| 1 tbsp | mixed spice |
| 2 tsp | vanilla extract |
| 3 | small red apples |
| a squeeze | lemon juice |
| handfull | toffees |
| icing sugar, for dusting |
Method
- Heat oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan). Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment.
- Put the dates and milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 mins to cool.
- Whizz the date mixture to a smooth purée in a food processor or blender, then scrape into a large mixing bowl.
- Tip in the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, mixed spice and vanilla. Set aside while you prepare the apples.
- Quarter and core the apples, then slice quite thinly, tossing in a little lemon juice as you go.
- Quickly beat together the cake ingredients with an electric whisk until smooth, then scrape into the baking tray.
- Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in rows, on top of the cake - you should be able to get 3 rows lengthways down the tray.
- Bake for 45-50 mins until a skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tray.
- Put the toffees in a small pan with a good splash of milk and gently melt, stirring until runny.
- To finish, dust the cake with a little icing sugar. Drizzle the sauce all over the cake. Cut into squares or slices to serve.