Apple Cake

Ingredients :

 * Butter – 175 gms, plus extra for greasing
 *  Eggs - 3
 *  Self raising flour – 350 gms
 *  Ground Cinnamon – 2 tsp
 *   Sugar – 175 gms
 *  Apples – 3 medium
 *  Dates, halved, stoned and finely chopped – 100 gms
 *  Blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped – 100 gms
Method :

•  Heat oven to 180°C. Lightly butter a deep 20cm loose-based or spring form round cake in, then line the base with baking parchment. 
• Melt the butter by heating it and then cool it for 5 minutes. Crack the eggs into the butter and beat well. Mix the flour with the cinnamon and the sugar. 
•  Core and cut two apples (unpeeled) into bite-size chunks. Mix the apples into the flour along with the dates and half of the chopped hazelnuts. 
•  Pour the egg and butter mixture into the flour mixture and gently stir together. Spoon into the tin, smooth the top. 
• Thinly slice the remaining apple (unpeeled) into circles, discard the pips, and then arrange over the top of the cake. Sprinkle over the remaining Cakes & Desserts 8 hazelnuts. 
•  Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until the cake is cooked and risen. Check if it is done by pushing a skewer into the centre – it should come out clean. 
•  Remove the cake from the tin, peel off the paper and transfer the cake to a wire rack. Cool completely. Keeps for up to 3 days.