As the days shorten and the damp chill of autumn rests on the dew laden grass, I look out to the apple tree, groaning with its load and rendering to submission with each thud onto the grass. I carefully pick through them, saving the bruised or wasp eaten fruits for the pigs down the lane.

It is their crisp sweetness, bursting with flavour that offers the perfect taste of Autumn’s harvest. Often torn by the decision between a moist, sticky ginger cake with warm spices and an old-fashioned Dorset apple cake, I have combined the two to create a lovechild that just sings of cosy moments as the rain streams down the windowpanes.

To make this vegan simply substitute vegan butter for regular butter and 100g unsweetened applesauce for the eggs.