Apple and honey cake

A Passover classic but delicious any time of year. Pretty, moist, golden and beautiful, inside and out.

• 4 small apples, peeled, halved and cored
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 75g sugar
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 140g flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

1. Pre-heat oven to 160C fan (180C)
2. Grease a springform tin and line the bottom with baking paper
3. Place the peeled, halved and cored apples cut-side-down on a cutting board
4. Use a sharp knife to cut a series of parallel lines 3-5mm apart to halfway through the apple pieces (so that the halves stay intact)
5. Toss apple with lemon juice and 1 tbsp sugar
6. In a scrupulously clean bowl, whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks
7. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and remaining 75g sugar until fluffy
8. Add the honey, cinnamon and egg yolks and beat until combined
9. Add the flour, baking powder and salt half at a time, mixing until just combined
10. Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest
11. Scrape cake batter into the tin, smoothing the top
12. Arrange apple halves facedown on the cake batter – you don’t need to press them down, the cake will rise up to encase them 
13. Bake for 35 mins until golden brown. Rest the tin on a rack for 5 mins before turning out to cool completely