This classic and simple recipe, which is slightly adapted from one we make at Ballymaloe, is in my new book 'Bake'. Feel free to add some blackberries or raspberries to the apples.

Ingredients:

Two eggs

175g caster sugar

Half tsp vanilla essence

75g butter

75ml milk

125g plain flour

Half tsp ground cinnamon

2¼ tsp baking powder

Two small or one medium cooking apple

75ml cream, to serve

A separate 15g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, Gas Mark 6. Grease, and line with parchment paper, an 8"x 8" square tin.

Whisk the eggs with the 175g caster sugar until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and the whisk leaves a figure '8'.

Melt the butter with the milk and pour onto the eggs, whisking all the time. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold carefully into the batter so that there are no lumps of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Peel and core the apples and slice into thin slices.

Arrange them over the batter. Sprinkle with the remaining 15g of sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180ºC, Gas Mark 4, for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown.

Cool in the tin and serve warm. Delicious with cream, or, of course, custard.