Dan Lepard's sticky apple crumble and brandy syrup cake

Every apple season I usually reach first for lemon and sugar to add tartness and sweetness to fruit that already has enough of both. Sugar adds gloss and transparency to the apple flesh, and its stickiness helps to bind the fruit, but it can mask the fruit's own sweetness. Likewise, the acidity in lemon juice preserves the colour and adds its own bright tartness but it too can make the fruit's subtle flavours hard to distinguish.

Oranges suit apples surprisingly well. The ascorbic acid in the fruit fixes the apple's colour, and the juice adds a golden hue. Ditch the sugar when cooking apples with orange juice and the apples' subtle acidity remains intact, reminiscent of a simple baked apple, with a beautiful colour as a bonus.

Apple and orange crumble tart

2 medium oranges

6 medium dessert apples, such as granny smith

CRUMBLE BASE

75g castor sugar

75g unsalted butter, softened

1 egg yolk

100g plain flour

½⁄ tsp baking powder

CRUMBLE TOPPING

50g castor sugar

50g unsalted butter, softened

75g plain flour

50g pinenuts, lightly toasted

Icing sugar to finish

1. Grease an 18cm round springform or removable-base cake tin, and line the sides with non-stick paper. Zest the oranges and reserve for later.

2. Juice the oranges into a saucepan, then peel two of the apples, coarsely grate (discard the core) into a saucepan then stir through the juice.

3. Peel, core and dice the remaining apples and add to the saucepan. Stir well then cook with a lid on until they start to soften, then cook a few minutes more with the lid off to dry the mixture slightly, then leave to cool.

4. Make the base by beating the sugar, half the reserved zest, butter and yolk until smooth and light. Stir in the flour and baking powder then spread this evenly in the base of the prepared tin.

5. Spoon the apple mixture over the base then make the crumble top. Rub the sugar, butter, remaining zest and flour gently until it just starts to turn crumbly. Then stir in the pinenuts and sprinkle this over the apple.

6. Bake at 200C/180C fan-forced for about 50 minutes, or until the top is golden. Leave to cool in the tin then remove carefully. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Serves 6

Note: The centre of the base can be soft if cooked at too low a temperature. We recommend cooking at 200C fan, as we achieved a crisp base, and it's quite nice how the apples caramelise on the side.

Apple brandy syrup cake

150g unsalted butter, softened

zest of 3 oranges, finely grated

200g brown sugar

5 medium dessert apples, such as granny smith

3 eggs (60g each)

200g plain flour

½⁄ tsp ground mace or nutmeg

2 tsp baking powder

For the syrup:

75g brown sugar

75ml brandy, calvados, or orange juice for alcohol-free

1. Line the base of an 18 centimetre-deep cake tin with a single sheet of buttered foil, pressed carefully into the edges and up the sides. This will hold the syrup after baking.

2. Beat the butter, zest and brown sugar until smooth. Peel two of the apples, coarsely grated (discard the core), add to the mix, and beat. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each.

3. Peel, core and dice the remaining apples. Stir the flour, spice and baking powder through the butter mixture, then stir in most of the diced apple. Press the remaining apple onto the top and bake for about 50-60 minutes at 180C/160C fan/350F or until a skewer comes out clean.

4. Leave the cake until warm. Then, gently heat the brandy and sugar in a saucepan until almost hot and the sugar is dissolved. Spoon the sauce over the cake and leave until cold. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and extra brandy over the top.

Serves 8