Anna Louise Dorset apple cake is a recipe with a long history in British baking — a regional speciality from Dorset that uses a generous quantity of Bramley apples in a simple sponge, often with a dusting of sugar and sometimes a little cinnamon on top.
Mary Berry’s Dorset apple traybake is the version adapted for a traybake tin — which means it feeds twenty people rather than eight, cuts neatly into squares, and works perfectly for a bake sale, a church hall, or a large family gathering where people need feeding efficiently.
The key difference between a Dorset apple cake and other apple cakes is the Bramley apple. Bramleys are intensely tart and collapse into the batter during baking, giving pockets of soft, slightly sharp apple rather than distinct pieces.
Combined with the buttery, slightly golden sponge and a generous scattering of demerara sugar and flaked almonds on top, it is a genuinely beautiful traybake.
I make this every September when Bramleys are at their best — heavy, green, and so tart they make your eyes water when you taste a raw slice. They are completely transformed by baking.
Why Bramleys Are Essential Here
Almost every other apple recipe on this site uses eating apples — Cox, Braeburn, Russet — because they hold their shape and give distinct apple pieces in the finished bake.
Dorset apple cake is the exception. It specifically uses Bramleys because their collapse is the point. The Bramley dissolves into the batter during baking, releasing its juice and its sharp flavour throughout the sponge and giving a moist, tender crumb that eating apples cannot achieve in the same way.
If you genuinely cannot find Bramleys, a sharp eating apple like Granny Smith can substitute, though the collapse will be less complete and the flavour slightly less tart.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Dorset Apple Traybake
For the Traybake
- 350g unsalted butter, softened
- 300g golden caster sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 350g self-raising flour, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 600g Bramley apples — peeled, cored, and roughly diced into 1.5cm pieces
- Juice of ½ lemon — toss with the apple to prevent browning
For the Top
- 3 tbsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 50g flaked almonds
How to Make Mary Berry Dorset Apple Traybake
Step 1 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease a 33x23cm traybake tin generously and line with baking parchment, leaving an overhang.
Mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside with the flaked almonds.
Step 2 — Prepare the Apples
Peel, core, and dice the Bramleys into roughly 1.5cm pieces. Toss immediately with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
Step 3 — Make the Batter
Beat the softened butter and golden caster sugar together with an electric hand whisk for four to five minutes until pale and genuinely fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. If the mixture looks as though it might curdle, add a tablespoon of flour and continue.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and mixed spice. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Fold gently until just combined — stop at the last streak of flour.
Step 4 — Fold in the Apples
Add the diced Bramley apple pieces to the batter. Fold through gently. The batter will be quite thick and the apple pieces will be evenly distributed throughout.
Step 5 — Fill and Top
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly to the corners. The batter is thick — use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to level it properly.
Scatter the cinnamon demerara mixture evenly over the surface. Then scatter the flaked almonds — they toast beautifully during baking and give a lovely golden, slightly crunchy top.
Step 6 — Bake
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until deep golden, the top is set with a slight crust from the demerara, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Check at 35 minutes. If the flaked almonds are browning too quickly, cover loosely with baking parchment.
Leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting. The Bramley apple releases a lot of moisture during baking and the traybake needs time to set properly before it is cut.
My Top Tips For Dorset Apple Traybake
Use Bramleys — specifically. Their collapse and tartness is the entire point of this traybake. A Bramley Dorset apple cake with eating apples is a pleasant cake but it is a different cake. Bramleys give the sharpness and the moisture that makes this specific.
Toss the apple with lemon juice immediately after cutting. Bramleys oxidise and turn brown very quickly. A quick toss in lemon juice keeps them pale and fresh-looking before they go into the batter.
Cool completely before cutting. The Bramley apple releases significant moisture into the surrounding batter during baking. The traybake needs to cool for at least an hour before cutting — warm, it is slightly too soft and the squares do not hold their shape properly.
Be generous with the flaked almonds. They toast to a beautiful golden during baking and give the traybake a professional-looking, attractive top. Do not scatter them sparingly — a generous coverage looks impressive.
This traybake improves on day two. Like all the apple cakes on this site, the Dorset apple traybake becomes more evenly moist and more deeply flavoured overnight as the apple moisture migrates through the sponge. Make it the day before if you can.
Serving Suggestions
At room temperature as an afternoon tea cake — this is its natural habitat. Warm with a spoonful of clotted cream alongside — genuinely wonderful.
At a bake sale — the flaked almond and demerara top makes it look very attractive. With a cup of strong tea in the garden in September when the air has that first hint of autumn in it.
How to Store Dorset Apple Traybake
At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The traybake stays moist and improves over the first two days.
In the freezer: Freeze in squares individually wrapped in cling film for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Mary Berry Dorset Apple Traybake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a 33x23cm traybake tin. Mix demerara and cinnamon — set aside with flaked almonds.
- Toss diced Bramley in lemon juice immediately. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Sift in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and mixed spice. Add milk and vanilla — fold gently until just combined.
- Fold in diced Bramley apple.
- Spoon into tin. Spread evenly. Scatter cinnamon demerara over the surface then scatter flaked almonds.
- Bake 35–40 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely in tin — at least 1 hour. Cut into squares.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different apple?
Granny Smith is the closest substitute for Bramley — very tart and collapses somewhat during baking. Cox, Braeburn, and other eating apples give a pleasant cake but a different result — less tart, less soft, less specifically Dorset.
Can I add sultanas or raisins?
Yes — 100g of sultanas folded in with the apple is a traditional Dorset apple cake addition that many people love. It adds sweetness and extra fruit character.
Can I make this as a round cake?
Yes — divide the batter between two deep 20cm round sandwich tins. Bake at the same temperature for 28 to 33 minutes. Sandwich with whipped cream or buttercream. It becomes a beautiful layered apple cake.
Why is my traybake wet in the middle?
Either the Bramley apples had an unusually high water content, or the bake needed more time. Bramleys vary in their water content — if your traybake looks underdone at 40 minutes, give it another five and re-test.
Can I leave out the almonds?
Yes — just use the demerara and cinnamon top without the almonds. The cake is still very good but the almonds add a texture and visual appeal that I always include.
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