Mary Berry Apple and Almond Cake Recipe

This apple and almond cake is a beautifully moist, lightly textured bake with a gentle nutty flavour and soft pieces of apple throughout. It is simple enough for a relaxed afternoon bake, yet elegant enough to serve to guests with tea or dessert. The ground almonds keep the sponge tender, while the apples add freshness and natural sweetness. From start to finish, it takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes and suits bakers of all experience levels.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 175g unsalted butter, softened
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 150g self-raising flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 tbsp milk

For the apples

• 2 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the topping

• 25g flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar
• Icing sugar, for dusting

How to Make Mary Berry Apple and Almond Cake

• Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C or 160°C fan. Grease and line a 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tin, ensuring the base is well covered.
• Prepare the apples: Toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice and set aside. This prevents browning and keeps the flavour fresh.
• Make the cake batter: Place the softened butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, almond extract, and milk into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and pale.
• Assemble the cake: Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Arrange the apple slices neatly over the top, then scatter with flaked almonds and demerara sugar.
• Bake: Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool: Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
• Finish and serve: Dust lightly with icing sugar just before serving.

Tips

How do I stop the apples from sinking?

Slice the apples thinly and arrange them on top rather than mixing them into the batter. This keeps the cake light and evenly baked.

Can I make this cake extra moist?

Use cooking apples rather than dessert apples, as they soften more during baking and release gentle moisture into the sponge.

Why is my cake browning too quickly?

If the top colours too fast, loosely cover with foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve warm with custard or pouring cream
• Enjoy cold with a cup of tea
• Add a spoon of lightly whipped cream for dessert

Storage

Room Temperature

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Refrigerator

Keeps well for up to 5 days when refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Freezing

Freeze wrapped slices for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 360 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Protein: 7g
• Fat: 21g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Sodium: 180mg

Nutrition values are estimates and may vary.

FAQs

Mary Berry Apple and Almond Cake Recipe

Recipe by Milli RoseCourse: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A moist and lightly textured apple and almond cake with a tender crumb and crunchy almond topping. Perfect for afternoon tea or dessert.

Ingredients

• 175g unsalted butter, softened

• 175g caster sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 150g self-raising flour

• 50g ground almonds

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp almond extract

• 2 tbsp milk

• 2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 25g flaked almonds

• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

• Icing sugar, for dusting

• Butter, for greasing

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan) and line a 20cm cake tin.
• Toss apple slices with lemon juice and set aside.
• Beat all cake ingredients together until smooth.
• Spoon into tin and arrange apples on top.
• Scatter with almonds and sugar, then bake for 45–50 minutes.
• Cool briefly in tin, then fully on a wire rack.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Notes

• Cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly.
• Best eaten on the day or the day after baking.
• Freezes well when sliced and wrapped.