Blackberry and apple loaf

blackberry and apple loaf

I’ve managed to collect quite a few blackberries lately during my foraging sessions in the neighbourhood. I’ve been keeping an eye on them for a few weeks now and the first ones of the season have finally made their appearance and are ready for picking (despite the shocking summer we have had. Bless them!).  I love all types of berries but there is nothing more satisfying than picking your own in the wild, so to speak (ok, in my case it’s an overgrown hedge near a nursing home in my town, but you know what I mean) . And yet I don’t see many people following my example. I wonder why…All the more for me, I say! I confess I am getting very secretive about my “hunting” grounds. I’m very selfish when it comes down to blackberries. Only my closest friends are allowed to join me.   Anyway I’ve decided to blog a few recipes containing these lovely berries. I’ll start with this delicious and moist loaf with a streusel topping which I road tested last week and am going to take to my book group next Tuesday. You must know that one of the appeals of this group is that we always have a slice of cake, which we take it in turn to make, and a cup of tea while discussing the book. BUT you can’t just produce any old cake. Oh no!  It has to be original (something that no one has made before) and it has to be delicious. Of course no lady in my group would ever consider buying a ready made one. It would be classified as a crime, punishable with expulsion. I’m jesting here but it’s true that all the ladies in this group are foodies and , more to the point, expert bakers so the cake HAS to be home made. No pressure, then.  I’d say that this cake and tea ritual  is as important (if not more important!) than the discussion of the book. If memory serves me right the very first recipe I blogged was a courgette loaf for the very same group of ladies. Some things never change. By the way I found this recipe on line from the BBC Good Food website and slightly adapted it. Trust me it’s GORGEOUS!  Here we go then…

INGREDIENTS

250g self-raising flour

175g butter

175g light muscovado sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

2 rounded tbsp demerara sugar

1 small eating apple , such as Cox’s, quartered (not cored or peeled)

2 large eggs , beaten

1 lemon , finely grated zest

1 tsp baking powder

180g blackberries

METHOD

• Put flour, butter and muscovado sugar in a food processor and give it a quick whizz until you have  fine crumbs. Measure out 5 level tbsp of this mixture into a small bowl for the topping, and mix in to it the cinnamon and demerara sugar. Set aside.
• Coarsely grate the apple down to the core and mix in with the eggs and the zest. Stir the baking powder into the rubbed-in mixture in the large bowl, then quickly and lightly stir in the egg mixture. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk if too dry.Don’t overmix.
• Gently fold in three quarters of the berries with a metal spoon, trying not to break them up. Spoon into a 1.7 litre loaf tin (which you will have buttered and lined) and level. Scatter the rest of the berries on top. Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 1¼ -1 hour 20 minutes at 180C. Check after 50 minutes and cover loosely with foil if it is browning too much. When done the cake will feel firm, but test with a skewer.
• Leave in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out, then cool on a wire rack. Peel off the paper before cutting. Will keep wrapped in foil or in a tin for up to 2 days.

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