In episode 1 of the Balance Garden podcast - Equal Night, we talk to Tom Mettyer from Haddon Copse Farm, in Dorset, who shared with us his favourite Autumn recipe…

Ingredients

225g wholemeal self raising flour
Pinch of salt, or 1 tsp mixed spice
175g light muscovado sugar
150g butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
4 medium apples, preferably fairly tangy (we use James Grieves, a fantastic early autumn apple which is either an eater or cooker), diced
Demerara sugar, to top
2 tbsp flaked almonds

Method

Heat the oven to 160C and grease a 20cm cake tin (make sure this is the exact size or cake won’t rise correctly). Put the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar in a large bowl and stir in the butter and eggs. Beat together for a minute or so until well combined.

Stir in the apples until well distributed, then spoon into the tin. Smooth the top and then sprinkle with the demerara. Bake for an hour, then add the almonds and bake for about 15-25 minutes more until coming away from the tin.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then lift onto a rack to cool completely.

To hear more from Tom about Autumn Equinox, head to the podcast…