Chocolate Chip Apple Cake (and Choc. Blackberry Brownies later)

CHOCOLATE CHIP APPLE CAKE

1 cup butter, softened (8 oz/225 g)
1/2 cup (4 oz/100 g) white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water (standard breakfast cup)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups  (12 oz/ 300 g) all purpose (plain) flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda (Bicarbonate of soda)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups apples, peeled cored and finely diced 
1 cup (6 oz/ 175 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F (165 deg C).  Grease and flour a nine or ten        inch tube pan (I used an 8"? cake tin).

2.  In a large bowl cream the butter (or margarine) with the sugar.  Beat in the        eggs then add the water and the vanilla (I found this curdled readily, so            added a few spoonfuls of sifted flour.)

3.  Stir in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg        together.  (I sifted this all first).  Beat this mixture into the creamed mixture.      Stir in the chopped apples and the chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into the        prepared pan.  (I never buy ready made choc. chips but chop up the                  requisite amount of bar chocolate - Lidls' usually.)

4.  Bake at 325 deg. F (165 deg. C) for 1 hour and 15 mins or until cake tests          done when prodded with a sharp knife near centre.  Transfer to a rack to            cool.  Makes about 16 servings.

This will freeze well (where mine is destined any minute).

Back later with the recipe for the Chocolate Blackberry Brownies.  Now I need to move vast quantities of china and wield my paintbrush.



I couldn't read the recipe beneath, so I will add it at the bottom.



3 eggs
175 g (6 oz) 3/4 cup superfine (caster) sugar
175 g (6 oz) 1 cup plain (semi-sweet) chocolate - I use Lidl's raspberry
150 g (5 oz) 1/2 cup plus 2 tblspns sunflower margarine
100 g (4 oz) 1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
225 g (8 oz) 1 1/2 cups ripe blackberries, hulled (I use mine from frozen)
100 g (4 oz) 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Grease a 40 cm (16 inch) square tin.  Beat the eggs with the sugar in a bowl.  Melt the chocolate and margarine in a bowl over a pan of hot water or in a microwave oven.  Mix the egg and chocolate mixtures together.  stir in the flour and beat thoroughly.  Mix in the blackberries and chocolate chips.  Put this mixture into the prepared tin.  (Frozen blackberries will make it quite stiff).

Bake in the oven at 180 deg C (350 deg F) Gas mark 4 for 25 - 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and cut into squares.  Remove from the tin when completely cold.  Makes 16.

Note: just as nice if raspberries are substituted for the blackberries.