This is a delicious cake for the early Autumn when the blackberries and apples are in abundance. The cake stays soft for a long time because of the extra virgin olive oil although it is so moreish that it probably will be eaten before you need to worry about storing it. I often add vanilla sugar to baking. I make my own by preserving used vanilla pods in a glass jar containing caster sugar.
You may substitute blackberries with piece of plum or even sultanas and other dried fruit.
Ingredients (makes 14-20 slices depending on size)
- 5 large eggs
- 5 apples
- ½ lemon (juice)
- 350g plain flour
- 250g caster sugar
- 250ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 200g wild blackberries
- Icing sugar for dusting
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
In a small bowl, dust the blackberries with a tbsp of flour.
Peel and core the apples. Chop in dice and drop in a bowl with cold water and the juice of half a lemon so they don’t oxidize.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar till pale and fluffy. Add the olive oil, the flour mixed with the baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well with a spatula to incorporate. Add the blackberries and apples and mix well.
Empty the cake mix in the oven dish and bake for one hour. Test by inserting a skewer to the centre of the cake and bake more if the skewer does not come out clean and the top is golden.
Uncover and leave the cake to cool. Dust with flour or drizzle with a glaze made with blackberry juice, icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon.