Apple Cider Cake

I've been promising to share this Apple Cider cake for a little while now.  I made this with some foraged cooking apples early this month, so here it is - burnished bronze with leafy apple slices pretending to mimic fallen autumnal leaves.  

This cake was described by my husband as very apply.  He also added that he especially liked the natural sweetness from the sultanas.

I also have to apologise to my readers, especially to those who may have been wondering of my absence from blogging the past week or so.  I had to travel to Wales to be with my mother for a scheduled operation; and without getting into it too much - unfortunately it did not go ahead, as the surgeon predicted some complications and recommended that the operation should be postponed (again!). 

Well with having booked a return flight ticket back to Scotland a week later, I had to find other ways of entertaining myself.  This included spending time with nephews and nieces (who were on half term holiday); exploring some new areas in south-east Wales; as well as re-familiarizing myself with some old places - but more about that later in the week.
Apple Cider Cake
Ingredients
Serves 6 – 8
300g self raising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
175g golden caster sugar
150g sultanas
125ml vegetable oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
175ml cider
For the topping
1 -2 cooking apple, peeled, cored and sliced
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark4.
Lightly grease a loose bottomed 8 inch round cake tin.  Line the base and sides with greaseproof paper.
Sift the flour and cinnamon into a large bowl.  Add the sugar, sultanas, oil, eggs and cider and stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. 
Arrange the apple slices over the top. 
Bake in the oven for about 1 – 1 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Cover with greaseproof paper during the baking if the apples begin to show signs of over browning. 
Cool the cake, then remove from the tin, peel off the lining paper and allow to cool completely before serving.