Apple and rosemary cake with rosemary infused toffee syrup – torta di mele e rosmarino

Line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides well with butter. Core, peel and cut the apples into slices.

Melt 30ml (2 tbsp) of the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the apples, stirring occasionally without browning, for about 5 minutes.

Add the apple juice, zest and rosemary, and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Use electric beaters to beat the remaining butter and castor sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir through the sour cream or crème fraîche until combined. Sift together the flours and fold through the egg mixture. Fold through half of the cooled apples.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface. Arrange the remaining apple slices on top. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 60 – 70 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes on a wire rack before serving.

For the syrup, place the rosemary in a small pot with the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprig, add the honey, and simmer until the honey darkens, for a further 3 – 5 minutes. Take care that it doesn’t burn.

Pour the hot syrup over the cake then cut into slices and serve with extra syrup.