Easy Apple Cake

This apple cake recipe has been made in my family for as long as I can think. In German we call it a "sunken apple cake" because the apples sink into the cake while it is baked. Eat like the Brits for dessert with a serving of good vanilla ice cream or like the Germans for afternoon "Kaffee and Kuchen" with whipped cream. The only thing I've changed is that I use a good (i. e. unrefined), fine brown sugar instead of the regular white stuff.

190 g unsalted butter
190 g fine, unrefined brown sugar
5 eggs
Juice and finely grated rind of 1 unwaxed lemon
pinch of salt
300 g flour
1 sachet/14 g baking powder, mix into flour
6-7 tbsp milk
500-750 g juicy apples, e.g. Granny Smith, Braeburn (Golden Delicious will turn chewy)
more lemon juice

icing sugar for dusting, optional

1. Beat butter and sugar untill foamy.
2. Add the eggs and salt and keep beeting until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the lemon juice and rind to the mix.
4. Add the flour/baking powder mix a couple of tablespoons at the time.
5. Grease a 26 cm spring tin and optionally, sprinkle very lightly with flower. Shake the tin to loosen off any excess flour and tip the excess flour into the sink.
6. Pour the cake mix into the baking tin and spread evenly using a rubber spatula.
7. Cut the apples into quarters or eights, depending on size, core and peel them. Score the outside in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle over some lemon juice to prevent the from oxidising.
8. Place the apples on top of the cake mix pushing them in.
9 Bake at 175° C/gas mark 4 for 40-50 minutes (until a metal skewer stuck into the middle comes away clean).
10. Optionally dust the cake with icing sugar when cold.