Amazing Apple and Blackberry Cake: 1 Easy Bake

Oh, the smell of a cake baking in the oven is just pure magic, isn’t it? It’s that wonderful scent of home, comfort, and maybe a little bit of excitement. This Apple and Blackberry Cake, inspired by the wonderful Mary Berry herself, is one of those recipes that just brings all of that to life. It’s got this perfect balance – the sweetness of the apples playing with the lovely tartness of the blackberries, all wrapped up with a whisper of cinnamon. Honestly, it’s just the thing for a cosy afternoon cuppa or a little weekend treat. I remember making this on a chilly autumn afternoon; the kitchen filled with that gorgeous fruity aroma, and it felt like a warm hug.

Why You’ll Love This Apple and Blackberry Cake

• It’s wonderfully easy to whip up, even if you’re not a seasoned baker!
• The gorgeous mix of sweet apple and tart blackberry is just divine.
• Perfect for a classic British afternoon tea or simply as a comforting dessert.
• It smells absolutely heavenly while baking – pure homemade goodness.

Ingredients for Your Apple and Blackberry Cake

• 125 g unsalted butter, softened (make sure it’s not melted, just lovely and soft!)
• 125 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs (give them a quick whisk before adding if you like)
• 50 g ground almonds (adds a lovely moistness)
• 100 g self-raising flour (don’t substitute this, it’s key!)
• 2 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (Granny Smiths are my favourite here)
• 100 g fresh blackberries (give them a gentle wash and pat dry)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar (for that lovely crunchy topping)
• 25 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp icing sugar for dusting (optional, but it looks so pretty)

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Apple and Blackberry Cake

Right then, let’s get this beautiful Apple and Blackberry Cake into the oven! It’s really straightforward, but a few little tips make all the difference.

Step 1: First things first, give your oven a good preheat to 160°C (or 140°C fan/Gas Mark 3). While that’s warming up, get your 22 cm round cake tin ready. It needs a good grease and then line the bottom and sides with baking paper. This stops your lovely cake from sticking!

Step 2: In a big mixing bowl, pop your softened butter and caster sugar. Now, beat them together until it’s all pale and looks lovely and fluffy. My tip here is to use an electric whisk if you have one; it makes it so much easier and gets it really light!

Step 3: Next, crack in your eggs, one at a time. Give it a good mix after each egg goes in. Don’t worry if it looks a bit streaky at first, just keep mixing. If you find it starts to look like it might curdle, just pop in a tablespoon of your flour and mix that in before adding the next egg.

Step 4: Now, gently fold in the ground almonds and the self-raising flour. Do this bit carefully – you don’t want to knock all the air out you just beat in! Just fold it through until there are no streaks of flour left. It should be a lovely, thick batter.

Step 5: Time for the fruit! Gently fold in about two-thirds of your sliced cooking apples and all those juicy blackberries. I like to use cooking apples like Bramleys because they have a bit more tang, which I think is just perfect against the sweet batter. Make sure the fruit is spread evenly through the mixture.

Step 6: Spoon all that delicious mixture into your prepared cake tin and level off the top with your spatula. You want a nice even surface for the apples.

Step 7: Now for the pretty bit! Arrange the remaining apple slices over the top of the cake. Try to overlap them a little bit; it looks so professional when it bakes.

Step 8: Sprinkle that lovely cinnamon and the demerara sugar all over the apples – this gives you a gorgeous, crunchy topping, just like in a classic Victoria sponge. Then, dot the small pieces of butter over the top. These melt down and make the topping extra yummy.

Step 9: Pop it into your preheated oven and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s a beautiful golden brown all over, and if you pop a skewer into the centre, it should come out clean. If the top looks like it’s browning too quickly, you can always loosely cover it with a bit of foil.

Step 10: Once it’s baked, let the cake cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. This is important, it helps it firm up a bit before you try to move it. Then, carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. It’s much easier to handle when it’s properly cooled, and perfect for when you’re learning about scones too!

Step 11: Just before serving, give it a lovely dusting of icing sugar. It just finishes it off perfectly, doesn’t it? It’s almost as satisfying as making a coffee cake loaf after a busy week!

Serving Suggestions for Your Apple and Blackberry Cake

This cake is pretty lovely on its own, but here are a few ideas to make it even more special:

A Dollop of Cream: A generous spoonful of thick clotted cream or even some lightly whipped double cream is just divine with this cake. It adds a lovely richness that complements the fruit beautifully.

A Scoop of Ice Cream: If you’re having it as a dessert, a scoop of good quality vanilla or even a cinnamon ice cream would be absolutely spot on. It’s a bit like having a warm slice of pudding!

A Side of Fruit Coulis: For a touch more fruity zing, a simple raspberry or blackberry coulis drizzled around the plate adds a lovely tartness and makes it look a bit fancy, almost like serving it with a lemon posset.

A Warm Mug of Tea: Honestly, nothing beats a slice of this cake with a perfectly brewed cup of tea. Maybe a nice Earl Grey or a robust English Breakfast – it’s the ultimate afternoon tea pairing, don’t you think? It’s almost as comforting as a quick coffee mousse!

Storing and Reheating Your Apple and Blackberry Cake

Keepsake this lovely cake fresh so you can enjoy its deliciousness for days! Once it’s completely cool, pop it into an airtight container. It’ll keep beautifully like this at room temperature for up to 4 days. Honestly, it rarely lasts that long in my house, but it’s good to know!

Reheating isn’t usually necessary for this cake as it’s honestly yummy at room temperature or even slightly warmed. But, if you fancy a really cosy treat, you can pop a slice into a moderate oven (say 150°C) for just 5-7 minutes. It just brings out that lovely fruity aroma again. Be careful not to overheat it, though!

Frequently Asked Questions About Apple and Blackberry Cake

Got a question about this lovely cake? I’ve tried to answer a few common ones here to make sure you have the best baking experience possible!

Can I use frozen blackberries in this Apple and Blackberry Cake?

Yes, you absolutely can! Just make sure you don’t thaw them completely before folding them into the batter. Using them slightly frozen helps prevent them from bleeding too much colour into the cake mixture. They’ll bake up beautifully!

What kind of apples are best for this cake?

I really love using cooking apples, like Bramleys or Granny Smiths, for this cake. They have a lovely sharp, tart flavour that really cuts through the sweetness of the cake and the other fruit, plus they break down nicely. You can use dessert apples like Gala or Fuji, but they are sweeter, so you might want to reduce the sugar slightly and make sure you’re not overbaking it.

How do I know when the cake is perfectly baked?

The best way to tell is that classic ‘skewer test’! Once it’s the golden brown colour and the edges are pulling away slightly from the tin, just carefully poke a thin skewer, like a clean knitting needle or a thin wooden skewer, right into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it, then your cake is ready to go. If there’s still a bit of batter, give it another 5-10 minutes and test again. It’s a bit like checking if vegan flapjacks are done!

Before You Go

I really hope you enjoy making and tasting this wonderful Apple and Blackberry Cake! It’s such a comforting bake. Please do let me know how you get on in the comments below – I’d love to hear all about your creations and see your photos, or even just see a star rating! You can also share it with me on Pinterest!

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