This is the perfect receipe for a lazy sunday afternoon. I love to quickly put these few ingredients together after coming home from an extensive dog walk, and popping it in the oven whilst changing into some joggings, or even better – straight into the pyjamas. Before you know it the whole house is filled with the very comforting fragrance of apples and cinnamon. I enjoy it straight from the oven still warm. Serving it with a modest drizzle of manly syrup for more sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 300 g spelt flour (type 630)
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 120 g muscovado sugar
• 160 g apple puree (non-sugared)
• 160 ml plant-based milk (i.e. almond or rice milk)
• 100 g ground hazelnuts or almonds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (Ceylon)
• the juice of 1 orange
• 5-6 apples (Cox Orange or any other type not too sweet)
• small amount of coconut oil for greasing the baking tin (26 cm)

To serve with:

• maple syrup

Preparation:

Mix together the flour and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl turn the sugar, the apple puree, the milk, the nuts and the cinnamon into a smooth dough. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet, quickly but thoroughly. Melt the coconut oil and grease the tin. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared baking dish and fill in the cake dough.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4. Core the apples and finely slice them (no need to peel them, as the bright red or green adds pretty color). Squeeze out the juice of half of the orange. Quickly turn the sliced apples in the juice, then place them neatly on top of the dough, gently pressing them down.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes before turning out. Enjoy still warm, topped with a dollop of maple syrup – so yummy!