Bramley Apple & Blueberry Cake

My father has a few Bramley apples trees that were planted around 40 years ago and each year we harvest many bags full of fruit. That is of course whatever the wasps and crows haven't already pillaged.
 I can hardly believe that a year has passed since I last went collecting apples with the boys, I think it must be a sign that I'm getting old! I really love this time of year as there are so many opportunities to forage for ingredients. The boys, and now Millie, love our 'nature walks' and the day's problems are often thrashed out and sorted while holding hands, walking through the fields. I just love spending time with the kids in this way. Recently we went collecting apples and when we returned home Tiarnan picked some blueberries from our own garden, so I decided to put the fruits together and use my Mam's trusted bun mixture to make this Apple & Blueberry Cake.

If you have some apples that you would like to harvest, here is a post I wrote last year, on doing just that!

Bramley Apple & Blueberry Cake

Ingredients
225g (8oz) Flora light / butter
225g (8oz) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
280g (10oz) self-raising flour (sieved)
3 free range eggs

2 cooking apples, cored and sliced
150g/1cup blueberries
2 tbsp demerara sugar
Icing sugar-for sieving over

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C(fan)/390f/gas mark 6.
2. Place the flora, sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and cream together until it is a pale yellow colour.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time with a little flour- to prevent the mixture from curdling. Mix well.
4. Add the flour little by little then mix well.
5. Pour mix into a lined springform 10in tin.
6. Top with apple slices and blueberries and sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
7. Bake in the oven for 45 - 50 mins or until golden brown in colour. Cool on a wire tray.
8. Dust with a little sieved icing sugar and serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.