Dorset Apple Cake with Cinnamon Custard
By OcadoLife
Published on 06 March 2026
Chef Lewis de Haas has based his Dorset Apple Cake with Cinnamon Custard on a cake his mum often makes. “I’ve merged her original recipe with a brown butter cake that I make at my restaurant, Crispin,” he says. “It’s a comforting reminder of home.” Gluten free and packed with fruit, the cake is delicious, and the lightly spiced custard takes it up another gear. Time and servings
1 hr 15 minsTotal time
10Servings
20 minsPrep time
45 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter
- 6 large eggs
- 150g ground almonds
- 340g demerara sugar
- 65g rice flour
- 1 good pinch sea salt
- 4 eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1.5 cm chunks
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 80g caster sugar
- 568ml whole milk
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 5. Line a medium baking dish (approx. 20 cm x 30 cm) with baking paper.Step 2
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a high heat until it starts to brown. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.Step 3
Whisk 4 of the eggs in a mixing bowl for 3-5 mins until light and fluffy and increased in volume. Gently fold in the ground almonds, demerara sugar, rice flour and a good pinch of sea salt. Pour in the cooled butter and mix until completely incorporated, then fold in the chopped apple. Tip into the baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 45 mins or until golden and set without any wobble. Leave to cool in the tin.Step 4
For the custard, separate the remaining 2 eggs, keeping the whites for use in another recipe, such as meringue (you could even freeze them). Beat the yolks with the cornflour and caster sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl.Step 5
Warm the milk and cinnamon in a pan to just below boiling point, then gradually whisk into the egg mixture. Pour it all back into the pan and cook gently, whisking continuously, until thickened.Step 6
Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, with the custard.