Simple Apple Shortcake

By Jemma at Time for a Little Something

This simple apple shortcake recipe comes from my grandmother's handwritten recipe book. My grandmother grew up on a farm, and then moved to my grandfather's farm when they married in the 1950s. I imagine she made this shortcake many times for the farm staff!

Like most of our everyday farm baking recipes, this makes a delicious but fairly plain sweet to

enjoy after lunch or on a tea break. It's not a decadent meal of a slice like you find in most cafes these days!

Simple Apple Shortcake

¼ lb (115g) butter
1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1½ cups, plus 1 Tbsp (230g) flour

1½ tsp baking powder

two small apples, thinly sliced (unpeeled is fine)

2 tsp sugar, extra

icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 200°(c). Grease and/or line either a 26x17cm slice/brownie pan, or a round cake tin, depending on your preference.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat again. Add the sifted flour and baking powder, and mix to a soft dough. Add a little milk if the mixture seems very dry (I didn’t need any). Halve the dough (I find it easiest to weigh it; each half should weigh around 250g). Roll the first half out and press it into your greased tin.

Layer the slices of apple over the dough, and sprinkle with 1 tsp of the extra sugar. Roll out the remaining dough and lay this on top of the apple slices. Prick with a fork and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp of sugar.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the dough is lightly golden and smells cooked. Leave to cool in the tin before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into squares, bars or, if you used a round cake tin, wedges.