750 g apples, peeled and chopped
250 g Demerara sugar
250 g raisins or chopped, mixed fruit
100 g ground almonds
100 g roughly chopped hazelnuts
1 large tbsp dark rum
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of ground cloves
500 g plain flour
20 g baking powder

Mix the chopped apples with the sugar and raisins. Cover with a lid or with cling film and leave to stand overnight or for at least 8 hours. The sugar encourages the apples to release some of their juice so this period of rest is essential – there has to be enough liquid to absorb the rest of the ingredients.
Add the nuts, rum, cocoa and spices to the apple mixture and stir. Finally add the flour and baking powder and mix until all the flour has been absorbed. The juiciness of apples can vary – add some extra liquid (water, rum or apple juice) if the batter is too tough. The batter should be fairly firm and not runny.
Spoon the batter into one large or two smaller loaf tins. Bake at 180°C for about one hour or until a stick inserted into the bread comes out clean. The apple bread keeps fresh for a couple of weeks, but it should not be stored in plastic (tin foil or a tin is best).