Allegra McEvedy's Swedish apple cake

At this time of year, fruit falls into one of two categories: the bright imports and the familiar home-grown. Personally, I prefer to buy more Britishapples and pears than kiwi fruits and pineapples.

This cake only takes 15 minutes to prepare, and comes from my friend Bob's mum, Gudren – a lovely Swedish lady who, before she died, made sure she left her son the recipes of his maternal heritage. It's fabulous and foolproof, and fills any gap from pud to tea time to elevenses – perfect for this time of year when cooking energy levels aren't running very high.

Makes 10 healthy slices (takes 15-20 minutes to prepare plus 40-50 minutes in the oven)

3 eggs

150g caster sugar

250g flour

1½tsp baking powder

150g butter plus a couple of knobs

3 bramleys, cut into large bite-sized chunks

¼tsp cinnamon

3tbsp golden granulated sugar, for the top

▶ Pre-heat the oven 175ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar, either by hand or in a food mixer until it is thick and pale.

▶ Sift in the flour and baking powder, and fold gently until it is all combined.
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▶ Melt the butter in 240ml water and beat into the mixture.

▶ Grease an oven-proof frying pan (25cm x 5cm deep) with a knob of butter, then pour the batter in.

▶ Drop the pieces of apple into the mix – don't worry if it's pretty crowded in there. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with golden granulated sugar and some cinnamon.

▶ Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, then take it out and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

▶ Run a knife around the edge and turn out on to a plate, then flip again so the apples are on top.

▶ Serve hot or at room temperature with a creamy accompaniment of your choice