The nights are drawing in, so cosy up with a sticky slice of this delicious autumnal sponge. We’ve taken the humble toffee apple and baked it into a sugared, spiced and irresistibly nice cake drizzled with the easiest-ever toffee sauce.

Ingredients (serves 12):

For the sponge:

• 3 large cooking apples (approx 600g)
• 3 eggs
• 200g dark brown soft sugar
• 280ml vegetable oil
• 375g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 150g chopped pecans

For the toffee sauce:

• 125g butter
• 60ml milk
• 225g dark brown soft sugar
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

• 1) Preheat your oven to 160 degree fan/gas mark 4. Line a 9-inch baking tin with greaseproof paper.
• 2) Peel and core your apples. Chop two of them into small chunks and carefully slice the other into half-moon-shaped wedges (about half a cm thick). Set the wedges aside for decoration later.
• 3) Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, then gradually add the sugar. After the eggs and sugar are combined, add the vegetable oil.

Gousto tip! Dark brown sugar can be lumpy. Rub the sugar between your fingers before adding it to break up the lumps.  

• 4) Sift the flour, salt, bicarb and cinnamon into the egg batter and fold in with a spatula (being careful not to overmix). Stir in the chopped apples and pecans.
• 5) Pour batter into a lined baking tin, then arrange the apple wedges in a wide circle on top. Make sure the wedges are slightly overlapping so they don’t spread apart as your toffee apple cake rises.
• 6) Bake for 30 minutes (or until apples on top start to slightly brown), then pull it out and cover with tin foil before baking for another 30 minutes.
• 7) While your toffee apple cake is in the oven, add milk, butter, dark brown sugar and a pinch of salt to a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Heat for about 3 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved and you’re left with a silky smooth toffee sauce.

Gousto tip! Make the toffee sauce as soon as the cake goes in the oven to give it time to cool and thicken to the perfect drizzle consistency for your sponge.

• 8) Pour the toffee sauce over your cooled sponge (get that insta-worthy shot at this point), and it’s ready to serve!

Don’t forget to show us those insta-worthy drizzle shots by tagging us @goustocooking when you share your photos!

What will you be making this Guy Fawkes? Will you be roasting some Homemade Marshmallows over a bonfire, or  cooking our go-to cosy ‘n’ comforting Autumn warmers? Tell us what you’re up to in the comments!