Toffee Apple Bundt Cake

Evening all. Sorry I've been missing in action, but my Mac bit the dust! I'm back on track now, but literally have about fifteen recipes to write. Granted, some of this was down to having more energy to bake than to write... Anyway, here I am with a proper shiny lad for you.

I had this idea a while ago, and by some miracle remembered to make it when toffee apples were back in town. I could have made my own, but I went old skool, and got them from the grocer's down the lane.

This cake was for for some friends who had been bundt-less for a little while, so I decided to sort them out. Many thanks to Phil, who acted as bundt custodian, super-slicer, and cake informant to the masses. Sterling work.

Anyway, to the cake. This has to be in my 'family of faves'. Spicy apple cakes rock my socks, but this has the added bonus of having a toffee flavoured sponge. Using fresh apples in spices rather than chunks ensures you get a nice even apple flavour throughout the cake too.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 350g golden caster sugar (plus a little more for dusting the apples later)
• 150g dark brown sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g plain flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon (plus a little more for dusting the apples later)
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 250ml toffee yoghurt (I used Muller Light)
• 1 medium eating apple
• 1 tin of Carnation Caramel

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray or melted butter and dust with flour.
3. Cream the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
7. Pour the yoghurt into a jug.
8. Meanwhile... Peel and core your apple, and thinly slice. Don't worry about lemon juice to stop browning, instead dust with cinnamon - just enough to coat the apples. Give them a good stir. 
9. Sift a third of the flour mix into the main bowl, followed by half the yoghurt mix. Repeat this until everything is combined.
10. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
11. Pour 3/4 of the mix into your prepared tin. 
12. Poke your apples in, in a clock formation.
13. Cover with the rest of the mix.
14. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
15. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
16. When the cake is fully cool, stir the caramel and tip it over the cake.
17. Decorate with toffee apples, or whatever you like really!