To scrump is to liberate apples that are otherwise going to waste, or from some points of view to steal them.

However let us not get weighed down in the vagaries of the law.

 I make it my business to know where the apple trees are in the village and collect the windfalls for cider and for cooking. This apple cake takes a Nigel Slater recipe but adds in a reduced cider syrup and honey in place of maple and golden syrups.

A bowl full of scrumped apples
a knob of butter
a tablespoon of honey

250g self-raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
1 lemon
200ml Cider syrup
125g butter
125g brown sugar 
2 eggs
240ml milk 

To make cider syrup

Take 1L of cider , add to a saucepan with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of brown sugar .

Boil rapidly till mixture has reduced and thickened.

Cake

Peel, halve and core the apples, then cut them into 2cm dice. Warm the butter in a shallow, fryingpan, then add the apples and cook for 10 minutes over a low to moderate heat, until pale gold and translucent. Towards the end of their cooking, add the honey. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Line the base and sides of a 22cm cake tin with baking parchment, and set the oven at 180C.

Sift the flour with the ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Finely grate the lemon zest and stir into the flour. Pour the cider syrup into a small saucepan, add the butter and the brown sugar and warm over a moderate heat until the butter has melted. When the mixture has simmered for a minute, remove from the heat.

Break the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and beat lightly to combine. Pour the butter and syrup mixture into the flour and spices and stir gently until no flour is visible. Mix in the milk and eggs.

Fold in the cooked apples and scrape the mixture into the lined cake tin. The apples should sink to the bottom. Slide the cake into the oven and bake . After 20 minutes sprinkle raw or brown sugar over the cake , return to the oven and bake until it is lightly puffed and spongy to the touch. Probably another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the tin.

Remove and fill ya boots.