Italian Apple Pie
Serves 8
7 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
12/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 cup superfine sugar
2 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon (preferably organic)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
3 pink lady apples, or any crisp eating apple (approximately 1 lb. in total)
1 teaspoon light brown, cane or turbinado sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200C). Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs, followed by the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla lemon zest and milk until you have a batter with a soft, drooping consistency.
Halve one of the apples, the peel, chop and core one of the halves into approximately half-inch cubes, add these to the batter and stir in. Pour your batter into the springform pan.
Quarter and core the remaining apples (including the unused half), leaving the skin on, then finely slice them and arrange in pleasing concentric circles on top of the cake batter. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle this over the apples, then bake for 40-45 minutes, by which time the cake should be risen and golden. Pierce with a cake tester, which should just have a few crumbs sticking to it when removed.
Let cool for one hour, before removing the spring form. Cut and serve warm, or leave to cool completely.
