Adjust quantities to suit*, but as I had only two eggs, I made the cake as follows:
Stew 3 or 4 cooking apples with a little water and about 2 oz. soft dark brown sugar until a thickish toffee-coloured puree results. Taste and add more sugar if required. Leave to cool (if you're in a hurry, plunge the pan into a basin of cold water).
Beat together 4oz. each of softened butter and caster sugar, then mix in 2oz. plain flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 2oz. ground almonds, 2 eggs and the crushed seeds of 5 cardamom pods. Put half the mixture into a greased and lined 1 lb. loaf tin, then mix the apple puree with 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and spoon it on top, finishing with the remaining sponge mixture. Sprinkle with a little more soft dark brown sugar and bake for 35 - 40 mins. at 180C/Gas 4/ the middle of the Aga baking oven.
Leave to cool in the tin then serve with tea or coffee, or eat as a pudding cake with cream. Store in the fridge.
* 6oz. each of butter and caster sugar, 3 oz. each of flour and ground almonds, and 3 eggs would be better.
