Mary Berry’s Spiced Dorset Apple Traybake is a muscovado sponge layered with sliced Bramley apples and cinnamon. It bakes at 180°C (160°C fan/Gas 4) for 40 minutes in a 30 × 23cm tin. It serves 12.
Berry says in Cooks the Perfect (2014) it “makes a comforting pudding, served warm with clotted cream.” She adds “I often make it in autumn, when I have a glut of apples.” That seasonal note tells you this comes from her own kitchen habit.
Her Keys to Perfection section focuses on apple prep. She says “it’s important to slice the apples very thinly” because thick slices “won’t soften enough.” Tossing them in lemon juice “helps stop them turning too brown, as well as giving flavour.”
Mary Berry Spiced Dorset Apple Traybake
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy12
servings20
minutes40
minutes341
kcalBerry’s autumn favourite from Cooks the Perfect (2014), with defined layers of cinnamon-spiced sponge and thinly sliced Bramleys.
Ingredients
225g (8 oz) butter (room temperature), plus extra for greasing
550g (1¼ lb) cooking apples, such as Bramley
Juice of ½ lemon
225g (8 oz) light muscovado sugar
300g (10 oz) self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
1 tbsp full-fat or semi-skimmed milk
Icing sugar, to dust
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C/350°F/Gas 4). Grease the traybake tin with butter and line with baking parchment. Quarter, peel, core, and thinly slice the apples, and put them in a shallow dish. Pour over the lemon juice and toss gently together.
- Put the butter, muscovado sugar, flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, the eggs, and milk in a large bowl. Beat thoroughly using an electric hand whisk for about 2 minutes (or use a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes) until smooth and light.
- Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly. Lay half the apple slices on top and sprinkle over the remaining ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top and carefully level the surface. Scatter the rest of the apple slices over the cake mixture and press them lightly into the surface.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until well risen and golden brown on top. The cake will feel spongy but firm, and will be starting to come away slightly from the edges of the tin. Also, the apples should be soft. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides with a small palette knife and turn out the cake, peel off the parchment paper, and leave to cool on a wire rack. Sift icing sugar over the top of the cake.
FAQs
Why does Berry split the cinnamon between the batter and the apple layer?
Half a teaspoon goes into the sponge batter and the other half is sprinkled on the middle apple layer. This gives two different cinnamon experiences in one cake.
The cinnamon in the batter mellows during baking into a gentle warmth. The cinnamon on the apple layer stays concentrated and hits you when you bite through to the fruit.
If you put all the cinnamon in the batter, you’d lose that stripe of concentrated spice in the middle. Berry designs her layered cakes with this kind of precision. Her Apple and Cinnamon Cake puts a full teaspoon of cinnamon on the grated apple layer for an even stronger hit.
How do I get defined layers without the mixture merging?
Berry’s Keys to Perfection note explains this. She says “when spreading the second half of the cake mixture over the apples and cinnamon, do so gently using a palette knife to ensure the apple slices beneath aren’t disturbed, thus retaining the layered effect.” Speed and heavy-handedness are the enemies here.
Dollop spoonfuls of batter across the apple layer rather than dumping it all in one spot. Then use the palette knife to ease it outwards, barely touching the apples underneath. The apples on top get pressed “lightly into the surface” which means just enough contact to stop them sliding off, not pushed down into the batter.
What type of Bramley apples work best?
Berry specifies Bramleys because they soften during baking without turning to mush in just 40 minutes. You need 550g before preparation, which usually means 3-4 medium Bramleys. The thin slicing is critical because thick wedges won’t cook through in the baking time Berry gives.
If you can’t find Bramleys, Granny Smiths work as a substitute because they’re tart enough to balance the muscovado sweetness. Berry’s Devonshire Apple Cake also calls for cooking apples and bakes for longer at 1¼ hours, which shows how she adjusts timing to the apple variety and cake depth.
Can I make this ahead or freeze it?
Berry doesn’t include a Prepare Ahead or Freeze note here, which is unusual. The cake keeps for 2-3 days in an airtight container because the apple layers hold moisture. Muscovado sugar helps too, since it’s more hygroscopic than white sugar.
For freezing, wrap tightly in cling film and foil.
It defrosts well at room temperature. Her Apple and Cinnamon Loaf Cake from the same era explicitly freezes for up to 3 months, so a similar approach should work here. Reheat slices at 160°C for 10 minutes if serving warm as a pudding.
What makes this a “Dorset” apple cake?
Dorset apple cake is a traditional West Country recipe that always uses cooking apples in a basic sponge. Berry’s version adds muscovado sugar and cinnamon, which isn’t traditional but lifts it above the plain original. The name signals the regional heritage while the recipe reflects her style of improving classics without losing their identity.
Berry’s Devonshire Apple Cake from the Ultimate Cake Book covers the neighbouring county’s version, which uses almond essence and melted butter. Dorset and Devon have been arguing about apple cake for centuries, and Berry sensibly published one from each.
Is this better as a cake or a pudding?
Berry says both, which is the right answer. As a cake, cut it into squares once fully cooled and dust with icing sugar.
As a pudding, cut it while still warm and serve with clotted cream as Berry suggests. The texture firms up when cold, making it easy to eat by hand with tea.
I prefer it warm because the apple layers are juicier and the cinnamon is more fragrant. The muscovado sponge has a softness that disappears once it cools.
Berry’s autumn glut comment suggests she eats it this way too, straight from the oven when apples are at their best.
