By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

SPRINGTIME in the garden is a time of wonder, and that usually means wondering what has survived the winter!

I've spent a long time berating myself about my ugly winter garden. If only it was prettier; but it's not, it's a damp squid full of muddy debris and spent fireworks. If only the weather gets better soon!

However, I was out last week and drove past our Town Hall Square, full of daffodils and tulips. It was only then, after months of quite unremitting bleakness and the monochrome gloom of winter, I truly appreciated the miracle that is spring and the realisation that the joy of summer is not too far away.

I did venture out into my garden and thought I have done a really good job of creating a garden that is having a bit of downtime!

My little apple tree has got an abundance of buds, which will turn to delicate blossoms in the coming weeks and dainty apples will follow and ripen in the autumn.

Having hosed off my muddy wellies and picked up a few fireworks, I was inspired to see my tomato seedlings beginning to germinate on the window bottom.

Spring is an uplifting time of year for most of us as we watch our gardens, parks and trees burst into life.

I was watching Gardeners' World, and Monty said his soil has warmed up and he was out planting his spuds and runner beans. I seem to be removing weeds from my cold waterlogged flowerbeds! Monty gave us a list of jobs to do over the weekend; my list is a page long, but I do have some blue tits nesting again in the birdhouse.

My lawn is looking like a jungle. It might be a good idea to leave it now and join in the No Mow month of May, and allow the dandelions to bloom – let's hope the long grass doesn't camouflage the cat when the fledglings jump for freedom! I think what I'm trying to say is my soil is cold and covered in weeds, my lawn is looking like a jungle, the weather outlook looks rubbish, but spring has arrived! The birds are singing, we have rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. Rise up, burst forth and add baking an apple cake to jobs for the weekend!

RECIPE

APPLE AND CINNAMON LOAF CAKE

Makes 8-10 portions

Ingredients:

2 large or 4 small eating apples – cored with the skin on and cut into small chunks

120ml/4fl oz sunflower oil

60ml/2fl oz milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

250g/9oz soft brown or caster sugar

250g/9oz self-raising flour, sift

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Good pinch of mixed spices

For dusting the cake when baked: 2 teaspoons caster sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4, then take a standard 2lb loaf tin and line it with grease-proof paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl add the prepared apples with the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and brown sugar, and stir together until nicely combined.

3. Sift over the flour, ground cinnamon and mixed spices, then thoroughly mix through and pour the mixture carefully into the tin.

4. Bake for around 60 minutes or until the centre of the loaf is baked. You can test this by pushing a skewer through the loaf; if it comes out clean the loaf is baked.

5. Leave to cool slightly, then lift from tin using the baking paper, place onto a cooling wire and dust over the cinnamon sugar.