2 granny smith apples<br />
2 squeeze of lemon juice<br />
175 g caster sugar<br />
175 g unsalted butter<br />
3 medium eggs, separated<br />
125 g ground almonds<br />
50 g self raising flour<br />
1 tsp almond extract<br />
1 tsp baking powder, sifted<br />
icing sugar for dusting<ol>
<li>Peel, quarter and core the apples. Slice two of the quarters very thinly, toss with a squeeze of lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.</li>
<li>Slice the remaining apple quarters more thickly and cut the slices in half, place in a bowl, add a squeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of the sugar, then toss to coat.</li>
<li>Set aside for ten minutes while you prepare the cake mixture.</li>
<li>Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 and butter a 20cm springform cake tin with a removable base.</li>
<li>Cream the butter and remaining caster sugar together until light and fluffy.</li>
<li>Beat in the egg yolks, then incorporate the ground almonds, almond extract and the baking powder, working the mixture as little as possible.</li>
<li>Transfer to a large bowl.</li>
<li>Stiffly whisk the egg whites in another bowl and fold into the cake mixture.</li>
<li>Add any juice from the thickly sliced apples, then drain the slices thoroughly on the kitchen paper and gently fold into the mixture.</li>
<li>Transfer to the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface. Drain the finely sliced apples and arrange on top of the cake.</li>
<li>Bake for roughly one hour 20 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.</li>
<li>Run a knife around the edge of the cake, and leave to cool in the tin for several hours before transferring to a wire rack and dusting with icing sugar.</li>
</ol>
Apple & Almond Cake
Almonds are loaded with health benefits. They’re a good source of healthy fats, fibre, protein & Vitamin E, so adding them to a cake is a great idea.
