This subtly spiced toffee apple cake makes for a perfect bonfire night pudding. For best results, serve whilst the toffee sauce is still a little warm.

Prep time 30 minutes
Bake time 45 minutes
Makes 1 large cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
220g caster sugar
4 eggs
220g unsalted butter, softened, plus a little more for greasing
220g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
250g Bramley apples, peeled and chopped into small chunks
Icing sugar for dusting

For the toffee sauce:
150g caster sugar
50ml water
300ml double cream
50g unsalted butter, cubed

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 170˚C
• Grease a medium-sized bundt tin with a little softened butter, then sprinkle over a handful of icing sugar to form a non-stick sugary coating
• Place the butter and the sugar into the bowl of a freestanding mixer (or you could use a hand-held electric whisk) and beat using the paddle attachment, until pale and fluffy
• Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
• Add in the flour, baking powder and spices and beat slowly until everything comes together
• Fold in the chunks of apple and then spoon the mixture into the prepared bundt tin (making sure you push the mixture into all the groves, so that you get the full pattern when the cake is turned out)
• Bake the bundt for around 45 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown
• Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before turning out
• Whilst the cake is cooling, make the toffee sauce
• Put the sugar and water into a large heavy bottom sauce pan and place on the hob on a medium-high heat
• Cook the sugary water for around 10 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbling and has turned a light golden brown colour
• Take the caramel mixture off the heat and whisk in the cream
• Put the caramel back on to a low heat and cook until the mixture has thickened and has turned a dark brown colour
• Whisk in the butter and then decant the sauce into a large heat-proof jug to cool slightly
• When the cake is cool, turn it out onto a large plate or board and drizzle with the warm toffee sauce