Dorset Apple Cake Recipe: Mary Berry Traybake

Few teatime bakes carry quite the same sense of occasion as a Dorset apple cake. Whether you’re layering thin apple slices into a spiced traybake or wondering whether Bramleys are really the right choice for the job, there’s something quietly satisfying about getting it right. This recipe draws on Mary Berry’s spiced version—one of the most-cited adaptations floating around food blogs and video tutorials—to walk you through every step from ingredient prep to cooling.

Key Flour Amount: 225g plain flour ·
Primary Spice: 1 tsp ground cinnamon ·
Common Apple Type: Bramley cooking apples ·
Optional Add-in: 100g sultanas ·
Sugar Topping: Demerara sugar

Mary Berry’s Dorset apple traybake uses a 30cm × 23cm × 4cm tin and layers Bramley apples between spiced sponge batter.

How to make Dorset apple cake mary berry?

Ingredients list

Mary Berry’s Spiced Dorset Apple Traybake brings together 225g softened butter, 550g Bramley cooking apples, and a warm spice mix of cinnamon and baking powder (Kitchen Delights (Mary Berry adaptation blog)). The complete dry lineup includes 300g self-raising flour and 2 tsp baking powder, while liquids call for 4 large eggs and 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk. A tablespoon of bottled lemon juice keeps the apple slices from browning, and a dusting of icing sugar finishes the top.

Step-by-step method

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C (or 160°C fan) and greasing a 30cm × 23cm × 4cm traybake tin with butter, then lining the base with baking parchment. Peel, core, and slice the Bramleys thin—Mary Berry herself warns that thick slices make for a tough, underdone result. Toss the apple pieces in lemon juice to keep them bright.

Beat together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, half the cinnamon, eggs, and milk for two minutes with an electric whisk until the batter is smooth and pillowy. Layer half the batter across the base, scatter a layer of apple slices dusted with remaining cinnamon, pour over the rest of the batter, then press the remaining apple slices gently into the surface (Mary Berry (BBC Good Food via YouTube)).

Slide the tin into the centre of the oven for 40 minutes. The cake is done when the top turns pale gold, the edges begin to shrink from the tin sides, and a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.

Baking tips

Can you use cooking apples for Dorset apple cake?

Best apple varieties

Bramley cooking apples are the most frequently cited choice for Dorset apple cake, and for good reason. Their high acidity breaks down during baking into a soft, almost saucy texture that contrasts beautifully with the spiced sponge (Philip Strange Blog (Dorset food history)). Cooking apples also bring the tartness needed to balance the sweetness of the batter.

That said, some Dorset variants swap in dessert apples like Cox’s for a sweeter, more aromatic result. Amanda Persey’s version leans on cooking apples with reduced sugar, while the Guardian recipe opts for Cox’s apples with wholemeal flour (Philip Strange Blog (recipe comparison)). Either works; the trade-off is between tart firmness and sweet fragrance.

Preparation methods

Whether you peel or leave the skin on is a matter of texture preference. If you want the apple chunks to hold their shape and deliver bursts of tangy flavour, peel and cut into chunks roughly 1–2cm. For a more rustic feel, some bakers leave the skin on entirely—but Mary Berry recommends peeling for a more consistent bake.

Do you peel apples for Dorset apple cake?

Peeling vs skin-on

Most traditional Dorset apple cake recipes call for peeled apples, and Mary Berry is explicit on this point. In her own words: “If you don’t cut it thinly it’ll be tough and won’t be quite cooked.” The thinner the slice, the more evenly it cooks through the batter and the better it integrates with the sponge layer.

Leaving the skin on is acceptable in some rustic variations, particularly those using softer dessert apples, but it can create chewy patches that clash with the delicate crumb of the cake. For the best result—tender apple throughout, crisp sugary top—peeling is the safer route.

Chopping techniques

Quarter and core each apple, then slice thinly, around 3–4mm thick. Toss slices immediately in lemon juice to prevent oxidation browning while you’re working through the rest of the batch. Arrange the first apple layer across the batter before adding the final top layer of slices—this sandwich technique ensures apple in every bite.

How long do you cook a Dorset apple cake for?

Oven temperature

Mary Berry’s traybake version sets the oven to 180°C in a conventional oven, or 160°C if using a fan-assisted model. Both the verified recipe on Kitchen Delights and Mary Berry’s own video confirm this temperature as the sweet spot for even browning without burning the top layer of apple slices (Kitchen Delights (Mary Berry adaptation blog)).

Bake time checks

The bake time sits at 40 minutes for a standard 30cm × 23cm × 4cm traybake. However, several factors can push this slightly longer or shorter: how thickly you sliced the apples, whether your oven runs hot or cool, and the exact moisture content of your Bramleys. Watch for three signals of doneness: the sponge shrinks slightly from the tin edges, the top turns pale gold, and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges batter-free.

What does Mary Berry use instead of butter?

Butter alternatives

Mary Berry’s standard Dorset apple cake recipe calls for 225g of unsalted butter, softened and beaten into the batter. However, her published content acknowledges that oil-based versions are possible. The trade-off is texture: butter creates a richer, more tender crumb, while oil produces a slightly denser, chewier result that some prefer for traybakes destined for packed lunches.

The verified facts confirm the butter measurement at 225g with 4 large eggs and 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk (Kitchen Delights (Mary Berry adaptation blog)). An equal-weight swap of mild vegetable oil works as a starting point for experimentation, though the exact ratio for matching the original’s moisture level isn’t documented in the sources.

Mary Berry baking advice

Beyond the butter question, Mary Berry keeps her advice practical: line your tin with non-stick parchment, keep the apple slices thin, and don’t skip the icing sugar finish. Her traybake structure—sponge layer, cinnamon layer, apples, another sponge, then a topping of apple—creates the visual and textural contrast that makes the cake recognisable.

She also notes that plums can substitute for apples in the same method, offering a seasonal variation worth trying when Bramleys are out of season (Mary Berry (BBC Good Food via YouTube)).

Step-by-step method

Three ingredients define a proper Dorset apple cake: Bramley cooking apples, a warm spice kick, and a crumb that’s moist enough to stand up to clotted cream. Here’s the sequence that food bloggers and Mary Berry herself consistently return to:

1. Prep the tin: Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 30cm × 23cm × 4cm traybake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Prepare the apples: Peel, core, and slice 550g of Bramley apples into thin rounds (3–4mm). Toss in 1 tbsp bottled lemon juice.
3. Mix the batter: Beat 225g softened unsalted butter with 110g golden caster sugar, 300g self-raising flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Add 4 large eggs and 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric whisk.
4. Layer: Spread half the batter in the tin. Scatter over a layer of apple slices dusted with cinnamon. Pour over the remaining batter. Arrange the rest of the apple slices on top, pressing them gently into the surface.
5. Bake: Cook for 40 minutes until pale gold, shrinking from the tin edges, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Finish: Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then dust with icing sugar before serving.

This method produces a cake that slices cleanly into bars or wedges, freezes well for up to three months, and delivers that signature contrast between tender apple and spiced sponge.

What makes Dorset apple cake different?

Philip Strange, who has documented the history of Dorset baking extensively, notes: “There is no definitive recipe and all we can say is that the Dorset Apple Cake is a rich cake containing apple” (Philip Strange Blog (Dorset food history)). This openness to variation is part of the cake’s character—it absorbs regional preferences whether that means sultanas, wholemeal flour, or a breadcrumb-orange crumble topping.

What separates a Dorset apple cake from a standard teatime bake is the concentration of apple and the layering technique. Rather than folding fruit into a single batter mix, the apples sit between sponge layers, creating pockets of soft, tangy fruit. The result is a cake that’s drier in the middle than a traditional Victoria sponge but more substantial, making it ideal for traybake sharing.

Quotes and perspectives

“Let me tell you the keys to success for my spiced Dorset apple traybake.”

— Mary Berry, chef and author (BBC Good Food via YouTube)

“If you don’t cut it thinly it’ll be tough and won’t be quite cooked.”

— Mary Berry, chef and author (BBC Good Food via YouTube)

“There is no definitive recipe and all we can say is that the Dorset Apple Cake is a rich cake containing apple.”

— Philip Strange, Dorset food blogger (Philip Strange Blog)

Related reading: How Long to Soft Boil an Egg · How Long to Soft Boil an Egg

Mary Berry’s layered Dorset apple cake traybake, with Bramley slices baked at 180°C, mirrors the approach in this Dorset and Mary Berry apple cake from UK bakers.

Frequently asked questions

For UK home bakers, the choice between Mary Berry’s layered traybake format and a traditional round-cake method comes down to occasion—a traybake cuts into sharable portions perfect for teas and bake sales, while a round tin feels more like a proper celebration cake. Either way, Bramley apples, a hot oven, and patient layering deliver the Dorset apple cake character that earned the cake its county-dish status in 2006.