This is a simple recipe for a moist and sticky cake of seasonal fruits; it is made up of a few basic kitchen cupboard ingredients and is dairy and egg free, the simple batter acting as a binder for the sticky and caramelised fruits. I have made this cake with apples, pears and cherries so far, all with excellent results. 

I have also dabbled with mixing some different flours (50/50 plain and almond flour is very nice with cherries). I used extra virgin cold press rapeseed oil as the fat for the cake, which is slightly nutty flavoured. Use what you have; coconut oil (melted) butter, olive oil would all work very well. The cake is almost pudding like and best eaten warm from the oven with ice cream, cream or thick greek yoghurt. 

Serves – 6 

Time – 15 minutes preparation, 40-45 minutes baking 

Utensils required; electric scale, wooden spoon, mixing bowl and measuring jug 

Ingredients

Plain flour – 180 g 

Bicarbonate of Soda – 1 tsp 

Sea salt – pinch 

Cinnamon – 1 tsp (optional depending on fruit choice)

Demerara  sugar – 120 g plus 2 tbsp extra for sprinkling 

Fruit – 4 large apples or 6 large pears or 500-600g cherries

Cold pressed rape seed oil , olive oil, butter or coconut oil melted– 120 ml 

60 ml water

1 tbsp of apple cider or other fruit based vinegar 

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 140 C fan / 160 C no fan 
• Prepare a cake tin with baking parchment inside it
• Prepare the fruit – peel and core the apples or pears and diced. Cherries will need de stoning (just slice in half tearing out the stones).  Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries can be left as they are. 
• In the bowl mix together the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon if using and sugar 
• In a jug mix the oil, water and vinegar.
• Combine the water mixture with the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon and mixing until the ingredients are just combined (it should be a thick batter). 
• Mix through the fruit quickly 
• Spread into the cake tin 
• Sprinkle with the extra sugar
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes (insert a skewer to test it is done; it should come out clean). If not bake for 5 more minutes and check again.

Let the cake cool for ten minutes or so before serving.