Description

The apples in my garden are swelling and getting sweeter. Patience is the key - picking them too early means they are still tart. But its a competition with the squirrels as to who gets to eat them first! There is enough to go round in this year's bounty for the squirrels and me I reckon, so I'm only picking what I need every few days.  

I made some jam a couple of weeks ago which we will enjoy all year round. (check out the recipe) A cake was definitely on the cards and this one is part-cake, part-pudding. It is inspired by a recipe by Meera Sodha in the Guardian Feast. I saw it last year and it went down a treat then. I have made it again and added my own twist to it with raisins and included other ideas below for variations you can try out. 

What is great about this recipe is that its vegan. It makes a wonderful dessert or snack. It is one that children will love - it is gooey and has plenty of fruit in it so they will be getting some of their five a day too with this recipe.

It will keep for a few days. We ate it for dessert every night, warmed up with a dollop of ice cream or custard. Its heaven! 

Options: Substitute the raisins for chopped dates. Add a handful of walnuts if you like. 

Soak the raisins in rum if you want a grown up version. Poke a few holes with a skewer and spoon over a couple of tablespoons of rum over the cake while it is cooling. 

I would love to hear how you got on with this recipe and if you tried out any of the options above!