A Summer Warmer - Apple, Brandy & Cinnamon Streusel Cake

Today, after a much needed walk around the entire outskirts of 2 villages here in Cambridgeshire with the pup, I had a niggling thought. In fact, I had many thoughts whilst excitedly exploring the beautiful countryside and having a nosy at one of my favourite windmills whilst trying to keep myself upright at the top of a couple of hills...

How bloody cold is it right now?!

And it's JUNE!

 Our summer is here and with great British tradition it is wetter, windier and a million miles colder than our spring ever was. 

In fact, one of my wonderment's was if the hosepipe ban is still in force?!... I truly don't know the answer to that one haha. 

Only 2 weeks ago I was sat on Royston Heath enjoying a lovely picnic with my bestest friends and their little boy and getting toasty warm in the sunshine with some great conversation and much needed Vitamin D. Yet today it's been black, grey and shades of the two combined all day, with gale force winds, whilst now sat on my sofa typing away, my toes are blue with cold sat by the window. 

This week, with the Jubilee celebrations having been in full swing, we were greeted as a nation with lashings of rain & wind and the poor Queen looked so cold and uncomfortable on her Royal Boat on the Thames that I felt slightly guilty laying on my sofa, drying off under a blanket in my beer-fuelled snoozy state watching her shiver after my fun visit to a local Jubilee street party. 

I now have a weekend of relaxation ahead of me, with various visits for company, so a cake is needed to entertain my loved ones. 

Not just any cake, though... 

A Summer Warmer ; ) 

A warm cake, straight from the oven, not a beautifully formed layer cake, but a substantial and warming sweet sponge with a crunchy almond topping to comfort us on this freezing cold June weekend, which could be mistaken for an Autumnal weekend in October currently. 

So, I have decided to adapt my favourite winter warming cake, which is usually the stunning Almond & Cranberry Streusel Cake, with sweet bursts in your mouth from the fresh Cranberries used in this seasonal recipe, it's a gorgeous cake to make for an indulgent afternoon tea for your friends. 

You can find the recipe and inspiration for this Streusel Cake here, should you fancy making your very own Summer Warmer if you feel a little chilly and in need of a "Pick Me Up" 

Today, I filled this cake with juicy Pink Lady apples (Peeled, Cored and roughly diced into large cubes) mixed with a couple of generous teaspoons of Cinnamon as well as Sultanas soaked in Brandy. 

I soaked them in a generous glug of the good stuff and left them to soak it all in for a couple of hours prior to making the cake. I also used some luxury ingredients in the form of Duck Eggs for a really light cake batter, it's made a very fluffy mix this time around and smells amazing. 


If you would prefer to go alcohol free, not that it adds too much booze to it, but I can suggest you using a few tablespoons of Apple Juice for flavour, or simply a little boiling water to coat them and soak them instead. The soaking simply stops the fruit from going crispy within your cake : ) 

Served warm from the oven, leaving it for a good 15 minutes if you can bear to wait so as not to burn your tongue, with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream, it's the perfect antidote to a freezing British summers' day. 

Have a lovely weekend, filled with warming cake and a good strong cuppa

x