Apple caramel cake

This is quite a cake! I adapted this recipe from one by Kate Lyon, who was a Bake Off finalist in 2017. The sponge layers are made with dates, spices and pieces of dried apple, and are then sandwiched together with a caramel buttercream.

It is a huge celebratory affair, but it need not be this big. Just halve the quantities and cook in two tins for 5 minutes less (the mixture will not be so deep). And, of course, if you don’t have time to fiddle about making