This is a gorgeous apple cake called 'Felix's apple cake' which is my eldest son's name (well, he's called Felix not Felix's apple cake). I made it with apples from our garden which made me feel very homey, like a 40s housewife in a Janet and Alan Allberg book.

I did my first Saturday stall and, as predicted, it was bloomin scary. I was so lucky to start where I did on the market next to lovely Brigitte and Michael and it just wasn't the same in my new spot. I do have very funny Horse the German sausage man next to me (he may well be called Horst according to my friend Heidi but it sounds like Horse to me) - he speaks just like Arnie - but he is too busy to talk as no-one, and I would include myself if I ate meat or he did veggie sausages, can walk past a stall with a hunky man selling hot salty food on a cold day without buying some. He, hilariously, buys rolls which are at least half the size of his sausages so they stick out either end and look like something you would see in the Beano but no-one seems to mind as they walk off wolfing them down. That's on my right and on the left is the earnest and knowledgeable record seller who recreates the film 'High Fidelity' in front of your very eyes. He gets a lotta nerds on that stall who have searched for the New Seekers first edition of something printed only once in 1969 by 'insert obscure record label name' and he brings them real joy by finding what they're looking for. Should say just for legal purposes that he also gets normal people buying records but I was looking away when they were there :) I also nearly froze to death, didn't go to the loo for 5 hours (after 2 Americanos, half a flask of tea and a bottle of sparkly water) and ate at least 3 slices of my own cakes when the little rush had subsided but that's another story..

Beautiful coffee cakes for a lucky person's birthday on Friday :)

I had a couple left over so I put a creamy topping with grated chocolate on which look fab (I think!)