Apple and Blueberry Loaf

A very good teatime cake and one to bring out when you have guests too. This is easy and quick to make but still passes muster in the cake stakes. The apple slices add to the succulent sponge and the blueberries burst into freedom passing on sheer blue juiciness. This loaf cake is a favourite in my household and one that makes a reoccurring appearances by request!

Here is the recipe

Apple and Blueberry Loaf

Serves 6 –8

Ingredients
125g (4½ oz) soft butter
Extra butter for greasing the loaf tin
225g (8 oz) self-raising flour, sieved
175g (6 oz) caster sugar2
large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp milk
2 large eating apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
125g (8 oz) blueberries
For the Glaze
2 tbsp apple jelly jam
1 tbsp of water

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. You will need a 900g (2 lb) loaf tin, grease and line with baking paper.

In a bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg a little at a time until all incorporated, and then beat in the milk. Fold in the sieved flour gently until all the mixture is combined. Spoon half of the mixture into the bottom of your loaf tin then add half the apples and blueberries. Add the rest of the sponge mixture over the top and smooth down with a spatula covering the fruit in the middle. Place the remaining apples down the middle on top of the sponge and add the remaining blueberries down each side.

Place into the preheated oven on a middle shelf and cook for about 1 hour. The top should be firm to touch when cooked. And when a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

To make the glaze: put the jam and water into a saucepan on the stove on a medium heat. With a wooden spoon stir until smooth and then brush this on the top of the loaf cake before it cools.

Leave the cake to cool in its tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Note: You could use a different flavour of jam like apricot if you wished to do so. I store my cake in a tin lined with baking paper.