You know who could make this cake? Peter Rabbit’s mom, that’s who! I realize that this is the third time I’ve attributed a recipe to Peter Rabbit’s mom. The truth is, she’s a master chef, and she’s going to have a show on the cooking channel. It’s going to be called Fantastic Foraging!! Actually, thinking about Mrs. Rabbit’s culinary skills seems to represent the epitome of warm and comforting winter cooking, for me. Cooking with food you can find in hedgerows. Like blackberries. And there is a layer of jam between the apple cake and the flapjack topping. I should also mention that this is “flapjack” in the English sense of the word…an oaty cookie made with golden syrup, not the American sense, which is a pancake, which would make a weird topping for a cake. So, this is a spicy cake made with molasses topped with a layer of blackberry jam and then a chewy crispy layer of oats mixed with butter, golden syrup and raw sugar. Simple. Nice with coffee in the morning, nice with a dollop of vanilla-flavored whipped cream, a chunk of dark chocolate and a glass of wine after dinner.

Here’s In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree by Duke Ellington
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