There is a particular kind of afternoon in late September when the light turns gold at four o'clock, the heating clicks on for the first time since spring, and all you really want is a thick slice of something warm, fragrant and faintly spiced. This cake is built for exactly that moment. It is a proper tea-table cake: dark with brown sugar and cinnamon, studded with soft Bramley apple, and finished with a buttery streusel that crackles when you cut into it.

Why Bramley Apples Are Worth Seeking Out

Bramleys have a reputation for being too sharp to eat raw, and that is precisely why they work so well in baking. They collapse into soft, fluffy clouds of purée rather than holding a hard crunch, and their acidity cuts through the sugar and spice so the finished cake tastes fresh rather than cloying. One large Bramley, or two medium ones, will give you roughly 400g of prepared fruit, which is the sweet spot for a 23cm tin.

If you cannot get Bramleys, use a mix of one sharp apple and one sweeter eating apple. A single variety of sweet apple on its own can make the cake taste flat and one-dimensional. Whatever you use, don't peel the fruit too far in advance: diced apple browns quickly, and while it won't affect the taste, it looks better if you prepare it just before it goes into the batter.

What You Will Need

For the cake

• 225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 200g light muscovado or soft light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 250g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 2 medium Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1.5cm dice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp whole milk

For the cinnamon streusel

• 75g plain flour
• 50g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 50g light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 30g porridge oats or chopped walnuts
• A good pinch of salt

Start With the Streusel

Make the streusel first so it can chill while you mix the batter. Tip the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and oats into a bowl and stir together. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until you have a mixture of coarse crumbs and a few hazelnut-sized clumps. Squeeze a handful together: it should just about hold. If it is too dry, add another 5g of butter; if it is greasy, work in a spoonful more flour. Scatter it over a plate and put it in the fridge. Cold streusel keeps its shape in the oven rather than melting into the sponge.

Mixing the Spiced Apple Batter

Heat the oven to 170°C fan, 190°C conventional or gas mark 5. Grease a 23cm springform tin and line the base with baking parchment.

Beat the softened butter and sugar for four to five minutes until noticeably paler and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the bowl, then beat in the vanilla. If the mixture looks like it might curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and salt, then fold gently with a large metal spoon until only a few streaks remain. Stir the milk through the diced apple, then fold the apple in too. The batter will be thick and quite heavy, which is normal. Spoon it into the tin and level the top with the back of the spoon, pushing the batter into the corners.

Take the streusel from the fridge and scatter it evenly over the surface, breaking up any pieces larger than a pea but leaving plenty of texture. Don't press it down.

Baking, Cooling and Finishing

Bake on the middle shelf for 55 to 65 minutes. At around the 35-minute mark, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top to stop the streusel catching. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs and the sponge springs back under a light press.

Leave it in the tin for 15 minutes, then release the collar and slide the cake onto a wire rack. Cooling it in the tin for too long makes the base sweaty.

For a simple finish, dust with icing sugar once completely cold. If you would like a little glaze, whisk 80g icing sugar with a tablespoon of maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice, then drizzle it in thin ribbons over the streusel. Finish with a few dried apple slices and a cinnamon stick laid across the top — dried fruit stays crisp, whereas fresh apple slices will brown and weep.

Storing, Freezing and Twisting the Recipe

Kept in an airtight tin, the cake is at its best for three days and perfectly good for five, especially if you warm each slice for 15 seconds in the microwave. Unglazed, it freezes beautifully for up to three months: wrap it tightly, freeze, then thaw overnight at room temperature and refresh in a low oven for ten minutes.

Once you know the base recipe, it takes kindly to tweaks. Swap 75g of the self-raising flour for wholemeal for a nuttier crumb, or fold 100g of blackberries in with the apple for a late-September variation. A tablespoon of dark rum in place of the milk deepens the spice, and a handful of chopped walnuts in the streusel gives a pleasing bite. Serve warm with clotted cream or a spoonful of custard, and the first chilly afternoon of autumn takes care of itself.