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Mary Berry Apple Cake Recipe

Mary Berry Apple Cake Recipe

Mary Berry's apple cake is a beautifully moist, warmly spiced bake packed with fresh apple and finished with a crunchy demerara top.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 385
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Cake:
  • 225 g unsalted butter softened
  • 225 g golden caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 225 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 50 g ground almonds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 400 g eating apples peeled, cored, and chunked
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Crunchy Top:
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a deep 20cm round tin.
  2. Toss apple chunks in lemon juice. Set aside.
  3. Beat butter and golden caster sugar 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well.
  4. Sift in flour, baking powder, and spices. Add ground almonds and milk. Fold gently until just combined.
  5. Fold in apple chunks. Spoon into tin and spread evenly. Mix demerara and cinnamon — scatter generously over the top.
  6. Bake 50–60 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cover top loosely if browning too quickly.
  7. Cool in tin 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Use eating apples — Cox, Braeburn, or Russet — not Bramleys.
Do not skip the ground almonds — they make the cake noticeably more moist and tender.
Be generous with the demerara top — it is the signature detail.
Serve warm for the best experience.
Stores in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezes well.
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