Michelle Darmody: This apple crumble is made better with frozen berries

And the bright sweet taste of Orange and Cherry Loaf cheers up a dull day

Apple crumble flavoured with maple syrup and frozen berries.

I miss the bright, soft, sweet taste of fresh berries in the winter months. I find if they are available in the supermarkets at this time of year, they do not have the same burst of flavour, as they have more than likely travelled a long distance to get here.

Frozen berries are a great alternative as they are usually frozen during the months when they are cheaper and more plentiful so retain a lot of their vibrant flavour. Being harvested for freezing at the peak of freshness also means that they retain most of their nutrients.

Cherries are always a real treat, and they work extremely well with the orange in the loaf cake. I recommend tossing them in flour as this soaks up the excess water that they contain due to freezing and it helps to stop them from sinking.

Berry and maple syrup crumble

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

The perfect last-minute dessert - use eating apples if you don't have cooking ones

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the crumble:

• 75g plain flour

• 100g spelt flour

• 110g cold butter, cubed

• 80g light muscovado sugar

• 30g porridge oats

• For the filling:

• 400g mixed frozen berries

• 150g cooking apples, cored, peeled and chopped

• 2 tbs maple syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. To make the crumble topping, mix the two flours and rub the butter into them until it looks like rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and oats. Set aside.

2. Toss the berries, apple slices and maple syrup together and place them into an ovenproof dish. I use one that is about 9-inchs in width. Scoop the crumble mixture on top of the fruit and even it out with a fork them press it lightly with your hands. You can sprinkle a little more sugar on top if you like, or just pop it into the oven as is. Bake for about 40 minutes until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Allow to cool before serving.

Orange and cherry loaf

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Perfect with a cup of tea or served with sweetened cream for dessert

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour, sieved

• 110g golden caster sugar

• the zest of 3 oranges

• 2 eggs

• 100mls orange juice

• 3 tsp light sunflower oil

• 125g frozen stoned cherries

• For the icing:

• 50g icing sugar

• the zest of an orange

• about a quarter of the juice of an orange

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a 2-pound loaf tin with parchment.

2. Set half a tablespoon of the flour aside and mix the rest with the sugar and orange zest.

3. In another bowl lightly beat the eggs, juice and oil. Add the flour mixture to this and combine completely.

4. Toss the cherries in the half a tablespoon of flour that was set aside and stir them through the batter.

5. Scoop the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the cake batter. Allow to cool in the tin until cold enough to handle then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

6. You can ice the cake if you wish. Mix the icing sugar and zest and stir in the orange juice a little at a time until you get a smooth paste. Drizzle this over the cooled cake.