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Mary Berry Dutch Apple Cake Recipe

Mary Berry Dutch Apple Cake Recipe

Mary Berry's Dutch apple cake is a dense, buttery, cinnamon-spiced cake packed with apple pieces and topped with a crunchy almond streusel — completely wonderful.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 430
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Cake Dough:
  • 275 g plain flour sifted
  • 175 g cold unsalted butter in small cubes
  • 125 g golden caster sugar
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of fine salt
  • Apple Filling:
  • 800 g eating apples peeled, cored, and in 1.5cm pieces
  • 100 g soft light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • Streusel Topping:
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 75 g cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 75 g demerara sugar
  • 50 g flaked almonds
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method
 

  1. Rub cold butter into flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar until fine breadcrumbs. Add egg and vanilla — mix until dough just comes together. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  2. Toss apple pieces in lemon juice immediately. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornflour — toss to coat. Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Press two-thirds of chilled dough over the base of the tin. Press remaining third up the sides to 4cm height.
  4. Pile all apple filling into the dough case as high as possible.
  5. Rub cold butter into flour, demerara, and cinnamon — rough uneven crumbs. Stir in flaked almonds. Scatter over apple filling completely.
  6. Bake 55–65 minutes until topping is deep golden. Cover with parchment after 40 minutes if browning too quickly. Cool in tin 30 minutes. Release springform. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Use eating apples not Bramleys — eating apples hold their shape during the long bake.
Pile apple filling as high as possible — it reduces significantly during baking.
Cornflour in the filling is important — thickens the apple juices and prevents soggy dough.
Cool to room temperature before slicing — warm Dutch apple cake breaks apart.
Leave some butter pieces larger in the streusel — rough texture gives a better topping.
Improves on day two. Stores 4 days. Freezes 3 months.
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