
In the mood for something sweet with apples? This toffee apple cake is moist and delicious. Serve it hot with ice cream or cold with custard.
The recipe is taken from 2014 Celebrity Masterchef winner Sophie Thompson's newly released debut cookbook, My Family Kitchen: Favourite Recipes from Four Generations.

The book shines with Sophie's slightly off-the-wall personality (I've loved her style for years!), and is packed with firm favourites like sweet and sour pork, 'dead fly biscuits' and apple turnovers, but all with a family twist.
Each recipe is easy to follow and I'm delighted to share this toffee apple cake, which is quick to prepare and bound to impress at the table.

Here's how to make this sweet toffee apple cake.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 175 g (6.2 oz) soft butter plus extra for greasing
- 150 g (5.3 oz) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 200 g (7.1 oz) raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g (5.3 oz) ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eating apples about 400g (14.1 oz), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
For the toffee sauce:
- 100 g (3.5 oz) butter
- 100 g (3.5 oz) light muscovado sugar
- 150 ml (5.1 oz) double cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan, 320F, Gas 3).
- Grease and base line a 20cm (8 in) loose-bottomed cake tin.
- First make your toffee sauce by melting all the ingredients together in a pan over a low heat and stirring and bubbling until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together until pale.
- Gradually add the beaten eggs, adding a large spoonful of flour after each to stop the mixture curdling.
- Once the eggs are combined, beat in the vanilla extract, then add the remaining flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Fold in well.
- Pour half the mixture into your prepared tin and spread in an even layer.
- Arrange half the apple slices in a swirled layer, then spoon over half the toffee sauce. Repeat with the remaining cake mixture, apples and toffee sauce (leave a bit of toffee sauce for final drizzling, if you can).
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes (check for doneness with a skewer after 1 hour).
- The cake will rise up during baking and can drip good over the edge, so place a foil-lined tray underneath to catch any toffee drips.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 45 minutes before unmoulding.
- Drizzle with the remaining toffee sauce and serve warm with ice cream or cold with hot tea.
Are you tempted to try this recipe?
You can also grab Sophie's Lemony Almond and Polenta Cake recipe over on Fuss Free Flavours.
My Family Kitchen is published by Faber & Faber, and is available in hardback from 3rd September 2015, RRP £22. Order it here.
Here's that toffee apple cake recipe again in a printable format.
Sophie Thompson's toffee apple cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 175 g (6.17 oz) soft butter plus extra for greasing
- 150 g (5.29 oz) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 200 g (7.05 oz) self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g (5.29 oz) ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eating apples about 400g, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
For the toffee sauce:
- 100 g (3.53 oz) butter
- 100 g (3.53 oz) light muscovado sugar
- 150 ml (5.07 floz) double cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan, 320F, Gas 3).
- Grease and base line a 20cm (8 in) loose-bottomed cake tin.
- First make your toffee sauce by melting all the ingredients together in a pan over a low heat and stirring and bubbling until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together until pale.
- Gradually add the beaten eggs, adding a large spoonful of flour after each to stop the mixture curdling.
- Once the eggs are combined, beat in the vanilla extract, then add the remaining flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Fold in well.
- Pour half the mixture into your prepared tin and spread in an even layer.
- Arrange half the apple slices in a swirled layer, then spoon over half the toffee sauce. Repeat with the remaining cake mixture, apples and toffee sauce (leave a bit of toffee sauce for final drizzling, if you can).
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes (check for doneness with a skewer after 1 hour).
- The cake will rise up during baking and can drip good over the edge, so place a foil-lined tray underneath to catch any toffee drips.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 45 minutes before unmoulding.
- Drizzle with the remaining toffee sauce and serve warm with ice cream or cold with hot tea.
This is a commissioned post for Faber & Faber
More apple recipes to try





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Noreen Smith says
Looks lovely i am going to make it today
Just one question is the toffee sauce ok if we don't eat all the cake in one go or should the cake go in the fridge?
Emily Leary says
Hi. It would almost certainly be fine for one day, but since it contains apples and therefore quite a lot of moisture, I think storing in the fridge is a good idea.
Steph Curtis says
I would love to try this, but wondering if it can be done nut-free - as in, just leave the almonds out completely? Or would you need to substitute something else in?! Thanks :)
Lauren @ Create Bake Make says
What a gorgeous looking cake, I love it!
Emily Leary says
Thank you :) Do please let me know if you try it.
You Baby Me Mummy says
OMG! I cannot tell you how perfect this is, it would literally be my ideal cake. Best get baking! x
Emily Leary says
Awww, thank you!
Laura says
That looks amazing - just the right amount of sauce and the sort of cake I'd want to eat really slowly just so I could savour it!
Emily Leary says
Thank you! It is indeed lovely served warmed and eaten slowly. I really do recommend giving it a go!
Midlife Singlemum says
Toffee apple cake - what aperfect combination of flavours and I do lovev a moist cake. I always felt sorry for Sophie Thompson as an actress as she was always given the dowdy or wicked women parts. This book looks great though.