Mary Berry Toffee Apple Cake Recipe

This Mary Berry-inspired toffee apple cake is a cosy, classic bake with tender chunks of apple folded through a soft, buttery sponge, finished with a warm, glossy toffee sauce. The flavour is pure autumn comfort: caramel, vanilla, and gently spiced apple in every slice. It’s an easy, straightforward cake that suits confident beginners, and it comes together in about 1 hour 20 minutes including cooling time. Serve it slightly warm for the best toffee-drizzled experience.

Ingredients

For the Apple Cake

• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice (optional)
• Pinch of fine salt
• 175g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
• 175g light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 medium eating apples (Braeburn, Gala, or Cox), peeled, cored, and diced (about 300g prepared)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp plain flour (to toss with the apples)

For the Toffee Sauce

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 150ml double cream
• Pinch of salt (optional, but makes the flavour pop)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Optional, to Serve

• Hot custard
• Pouring cream or lightly whipped cream
• Vanilla ice cream
• Chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

How to Make Mary Berry Toffee Apple Cake

Prepare the Oven and Tin

• Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Place a shelf in the middle so the cake bakes evenly and colours nicely.
• Prepare the tin: Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. This makes turning out neat and stress-free.

Prep the Apples

• Dice and coat: Peel, core, and dice the apples into small 1cm pieces. Toss with lemon juice, then toss with 1 tbsp plain flour. The flour helps suspend the fruit through the sponge.

Mix the Cake Batter

• Combine the dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice (if using), and a pinch of salt.
• Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and light brown sugar until lighter in colour and fluffy. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
• Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. If the mixture looks like it’s starting to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour mixture and carry on.
• Fold and loosen: Fold in the dry ingredients until you have a thick batter, then add the milk to loosen. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour.
• Fold in the apples: Add the diced apples and fold gently so they’re evenly distributed without knocking the air out.

Bake

• Fill the tin: Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top with the back of a spoon.
• Bake: Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden, risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine, but no wet batter).
• Protect the top if needed: If the cake is browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes.

Cool

• Cool briefly in the tin: Let the cake sit in the tin for 10 minutes. This helps it set so it doesn’t crack when you turn it out.
• Cool on a rack: Turn out onto a wire rack and cool for at least 15 minutes before adding sauce. It’s lovely served warm, but not piping hot.
  

Make the Toffee Sauce and Serve

• Melt and smooth: Add the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup to a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until melted and smooth.
• Simmer: Let the mixture simmer gently for 2 minutes. Keep the heat low to avoid a grainy sauce.
• Add the cream carefully: Take the pan off the heat and slowly stir in the double cream (it will bubble up). Add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract if using.
• Finish and pour: Return to low heat for 1 minute until glossy. Slice the cake and spoon warm toffee sauce over each serving.

Tips

How do I stop the apples sinking?

Dice the apples small, pat them dry if they seem very juicy, and toss them with a tablespoon of plain flour before folding in. Also make sure your batter is fairly thick; a batter that’s been over-loosened with too much milk can let fruit drift downward.

Why did my cake turn out dense?

The two most common culprits are butter that was too cold (so it never properly aerated with the sugar) and overmixing once the flour went in. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then fold the flour in gently and stop as soon as it’s combined.

My toffee sauce split, can I fix it?

Yes. Take it off the heat and whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm cream, a splash at a time, until it comes back together. Keeping the heat low and adding the cream off the heat helps prevent splitting in the first place.

How can I tell the cake is baked through without drying it out?

Start checking at 45 minutes. The cake should feel springy in the centre, pull slightly from the sides of the tin, and a skewer should come out clean. If the top is already nicely golden but the centre needs longer, cover loosely with foil and continue baking.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve warm with hot custard for a proper pudding-style dessert.
• Add a spoon of lightly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
• Pair with vanilla ice cream and extra toffee sauce for a dinner-party finish.
• Serve with coffee or strong tea as an afternoon cake.

Storage

Room Temperature

Store the cake (without sauce, if possible) in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If your kitchen is warm, the apples can make the sponge more perishable, so use your judgement.

Refrigerator

For longer keeping, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring slices to room temperature before serving, or warm gently for a softer texture. Store the toffee sauce separately in a jar or container for up to 5 days.

Freezing

Freeze the cooled cake (whole or sliced) wrapped well in cling film and then foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature. Freeze the toffee sauce separately in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge and reheat gently.

Nutrition

• Calories: 420 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 48 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 24 g
• Saturated fat: 14 g
• Sodium: 220 mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition values are estimates and will vary depending on ingredients, brands, and portion size.

Mary Berry Toffee Apple Cake Recipe

Recipe by Milli RoseCourse: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

slices

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Total time

80

minutes

Calories

420

kcal

1

hour 

10

minutes

Moist, buttery apple sponge with warm spice and a rich homemade toffee sauce. A simple, comforting British-style cake that’s perfect with custard or cream.

Ingredients

• For the apple cake

• 200g self-raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp mixed spice (optional)

• Pinch of fine salt

• 175g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for the tin)

• 175g light brown sugar

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 tbsp milk

• 2 medium eating apples (Braeburn, Gala, or Cox), peeled, cored, diced (about 300g prepared)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp plain flour (to toss with apples)

• For the toffee sauce

• 100g unsalted butter

• 100g light brown sugar

• 2 tbsp golden syrup

• 150ml double cream

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line the base of a deep 20cm round cake tin.
• Peel, core, and dice the apples. Toss with lemon juice, then toss with 1 tbsp plain flour to help prevent sinking.
• In a bowl, whisk together self-raising flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice (if using), and salt.
• Beat the softened butter and light brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
• Fold in the dry ingredients, then mix in the milk to loosen. Fold in the apples gently.
• Spoon into the tin and level the top. Bake for 45–55 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before saucing.
• For the sauce, melt butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth, then simmer gently for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and carefully stir in the double cream (it may bubble). Return to low heat for 1 minute until glossy.
• Serve slices with warm toffee sauce spooned over the top (and custard, cream, or ice cream if you like).

Notes

• Dice the apples small so they soften nicely and don’t weigh the sponge down.
• If the cake is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the final 10–15 minutes.
• Warm the toffee sauce gently to loosen before serving.