Apple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar and Almond Meringue

Grease a 22 cm round loose-based cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 170˚C.

Combine the apples and Marsala and set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar until very thick and pale. Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and all the spices and using a large metal spoon, gently fold everything together. Add the cooled butter and the apples with any liquid and fold together making sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter.

Tip into the tin and bake for 25 minutes. 

When the cake is in the oven make the meringue.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks then gradually beat in both sugars and the spices and continue beating until very thick and glossy then fold in the almonds.

Remove the cake from the oven after 25 minutes and gently place spoonfuls of the meringue over the top then spread with a fork. The cake will still be a little soft. Place back in the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes until the cake is cooked and the meringue is lightly golden. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes then remove the sides. Peel off the lining paper and carefully lift the cake onto a serving plate. Dust with icing to serve. Makes 1 cake