Dutch Apple Cake

I came across this recipe by Rachel Allen on the Lifestyle Food Channel website. It looked easy to make and I had all the ingredients at home, so I gave it a go. This is my 1st attempt with one of her recipes. I know she has her cooking shows are screened on Lifestyle Food, but I have never watched them, mainly because the show times does not suit.

Rachel Allen hails from Dublin, Ireland. She has four best-selling cookery books including Rachel's Favourite Food at Home, Rachel's Food for Living and Rachel's Bake. She also teaches at Ballymaloe Cookery School where she studied when she was 18. The BBC have given her the title "Irish Cooking Queen". I had a browse through her recipes on her website, and they look simple and easy to follow for home-cook. The recipes do not call for hard to get ingredients which can be a challenge for home-cooks like me. I have bookmarked a few recipes for later such as Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble, Red Velvet Cake (always wanted to try this), Italian Hazelnut Cake, Fresh Fruit Sorbets and Chicken Pie with Bacon and Peas to name a few. So many to choose from.

Rachel even has an iPhone app which you can buy from iTunes.

2 eggs
175g  caster sugar, plus 15g extra sugar, for sprinkling
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

85gm butter
75ml  milk
125g plain flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
2 small (or 1 large) cooking apples

double cream to serve, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC . Line the sides and base of the cake tin (20 x 20cm (8 x 8in) square cake tin) with baking paper.
2. Using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs, 175g  caster sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and the whisk leaves a figure of eight pattern (this will take about 5 minutes).
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the milk, then pour onto the eggs, whisking all the time. Sift in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder and fold carefully into the batter so that there are no lumps of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
4. Peel and core the apples and cut into thin slices, then arrange them over the batter. They will sink to the bottom (this is meant to happen!). Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160ºC , Gas mark 4 and bake for a further 20–25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
5. Allow to cool in the tin, cut into squares and serve warm. It is delicious with ice-cream or cream!