Apple and Toffee Crumble Cake

It's like an apple crumble...but with cake and toffee sauce.

The days are getting shorter and I have a lot more time on my hands as there is less work. This is generally bad, but it also means that i have more time to mill around the kitchen and do some baking! I fancied some cake but didn't want it to have loads of icing or a glaze or anything...then I saw some Granny Smiths just chilling out in the fruit basket. So cake with an apple crumble topping spiked with toffee sauce it was to be. As usual, I've gone for a bake-it-with-your-eyes-closed Victoria sponge base. EASY! Unfortunately I'm not so good at remembering when I have things in the oven and it caught just a bit on the bottom and sides - rubbish! Nothing a little extra toffee won't sort out.

Ingredients:
for the cake:
175g soft butter
175g sugar
3 eggs
175g plain flour
tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract

for the crumble
50g cold butter, diced
55g sugar (white and brown mix if you like)
70g flour (plain and wholemeal mix)

for the toffee
50g butter
50g white sugar
50g brown sugar
60ml single cream

2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced

Method:
- preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and line and grease a 20cm round loose bottomed tin
-make the crumble: place all the ingredients in to a medium sized bowl and rub the butter in to the dry stuff until you get something resembling breadcrumbs - or crumble! Set aside in a cool area.
-Make the sponge: cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour and baking powder, stir to incorporate, then beat to combine. 
- for the toffee sauce, place all the ingredients in to a small sauce pan and set over a medium heat. Once all the sugar has dissolved, turn up high and boil for a few minutes till thickened. Remember to stir!
-Assemble! Pour the cake mix in to the tin and level. Add the apple slices then spoon over 5 tblsp or so of the sauce. Sprinkle some of the crumble on top (you won't need all of it. You can freeze the rest).
-bake for 30 minutes and test with a knife or skewer to make sure it's done.
-Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve with the rest of the toffee sauce.

Toffee! Just a little over done on the bottom there. ooops!