If you love apple cake, you never tire of Dorset Apple Cake. Simply gorgeous, you can eat it warm or cold: plenty of clotted cream is highly recommended. It's also one of the easiest cakes to make, ever: ideal if you are a novice cake baker. See Tips at the bottom of the page for extra insurance.

• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 110g (4oz) butter
• 110g (4oz) golden granulated sugar, plus extra for finishing
• 225g (8oz) of peeled, cored, apples, finely chopped (cooking, eating or a mixture of both)
• 75g (3oz) sultanas or raisins
• 2 large eggs, beaten

You will need a greased loose bottomed 20cm (8 inch cake tin)

Preheat oven to 160C (fan ovens) or equivalent

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar, dried fruit and apple. Mix in the eggs. Turn into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a metal spoon: a wet spoon makes it easier. Sprinkle some more sugar over the top. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 40-45 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Leave in the tin for a few moments, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Three Tips for the Perfect Apple Cake

Always use the exact amount of apple as stated in the recipe. Don’t add more ‘for luck’ to ‘make it nice’ or to ‘use up’ an extra bit of apple. Extra apple in the mix will make the cake too damp and heavy – or ‘sad’ as we used to say in Lincolnshire.

Always make sure the cake is completely cold before storing in a tin. Otherwise the cake will become wet with condensation and can start to go mouldy.

Windfall apples are fine to use if you plan to eat the cake immediately. A cake made with windfalls won’t keep long before the apple starts to ferment: that’s why windfalls are so brilliant for cider!