Prep time:

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 10

For the cake:

250g self raising flour

200g caster sugar

200g softened butter

3 large eggs

1 apple, grated

75g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped (50g for the cake, 25g for topping)

50g blackberries

1tsp vanilla essence

1tsp baking powder

1tbsp soured cream, or natural yoghurt

For the frosting and filling:

50g blackberry jam (I made some with 50g blackberries, 50g sugar cooked on the hob until jammy)

100g softened butter

100g cream cheese

150g icing sugar, sifted

1tsp vanilla essence

Optional decorations:

fresh or freeze dried blackberries

edible flower petals (I used violas)

Celebrate the season with a delicious combination of fruits and nuts gathered from the hedgerows (or the supermarket). Apple is a very useful ingredient in general for cakes, either grated or as apple purée, as it will help to keep the cake moist and the slight acidity works well with the raising agents to make a light texture.

  1. Beat sugar and butter together for a few minutes – until the texture becomes light and fluffy.
  2. Gradually incorporate the eggs – I usually leave one egg to be added with the flour to avoid any curdling. Add the rest of the ingredients and fold in carefully with a metal spoon.
  3. Divide equally into the 2 tins and bake for 30 minutes or so – check after 25 by inserting a skewer that should come out clean when the cake is done. Leave to cool.
  4. Make the frosting by adding all the ingredients to a large bowl and beating together (once you’ve slowly incorporated the icing sugar) until it has a whipped appearance (2-3 minutes).
  5. Once the cake is cool, spread first jam and then half of the frosting over one tier of the cake. Place the other on top to make a sandwich and then spread frosting and scatter chopped hazelnuts and any other decorations on top.

This recipe used 2 x 20cm circular tins

Jo Arnell runs gardening courses from her beautiful home in Woodchurch, Kent, where we photographed these recipes (in her splendid dedicated workshop space). To find out more, see hornbrookmanor.co.uk

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

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