Page 5 - Apple sponge & chocolate surprise cake

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Apple sponge & chocolate surprise cake

Carol Gouldesbrough has been using her great aunt’s recipe for over 40 years.

Ingredients

4 medium eating apples

Dark chocolate pieces, or Lindt balls

225g self-raising flour

225g caster sugar

225g softened butter

4 large eggs

Half a lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

Splash of milk

Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/160 degrees C fan oven/Gas mark 4

1. Pre heat oven.

2. Line an 8-inch round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
3. Whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and mix into the butter and egg mixture.
5. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, flour, milk, and a pinch of salt and mix together until just
combined.
6. Peel the 4 apples, cut them in half and scoop out the pips. Make a well in each half, big
enough to fit a Lindt chocolate ball, or 2 small squares of dark chocolate.
7. After adding the chocolate to the centre, join the two halves of the apple together again
and place in the baking tin. Do this with all 4 apples, making sure they are placed
touching the outer edge of the tin and spread out evenly.
8. Pour the sponge mixture over and around the apples in the tin.
9. Bake in the oven
10. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from tin
and allow to fully cool on a wire rack.
11. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and decorate with slices of apple which have
been soaked in lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
12. Serve with cream, ice-cream, plain yoghurt or custard.
13. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the sponge is golden brown and
until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Carol’s tip

Try filling the centre of the apples with toffees or chopped nuts and chocolate spread.