Apple Streusel Cake

We are both at Sasha's parents' lovely cottage for the next month or so and today we decided to make a treat for everyone. The weather was glorious yesterday and we're both nursing a little lobster-esque sunburn inadvertently acquired whilst enjoying being outside in the countryside. Today, in true British style, the weather has changed to torrential rain and clouds, so we fancied doing a little baking for some inside comfort. 

Apple Streusel Cake

Cuts into approx 12 slices

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g margarine

150 g light muscovado sugar

50 g dark brown soft sugar

4 medium eggs

200 g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 braeburn apple, peeled, cored and cubed

For the streusel

1 tbsp light muscovado sugar

1 tbsp vanilla sugar

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp margarine

Method

1. Grease a 23 cm springform tin and line the base. Preheat the oven (Gas Mark 4, or 3 for fan ovens). 

2. Cream the margarine and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by a tablespoon of the flour between each egg. Sift in the remaining flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Gently fold in until fully combined. 

3. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level the top with a spatula. Gently tap the tin on the work surface to ensure there are no large air pockets in the cake. Push the apple cubes into the top of the cake and bake for 30 minutes. 

4. Whilst the cake is in the oven, prepare the streusel by rubbing together the ingredients to make a crumble mixture. Add some chopped nuts or oats here if you wish.

5. After 30 minutes cooking time has elapsed, sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the cake and bake for a further 20 minutes. 

6. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve by itself or with ice-cream or custard.