Vinograd Apple Cake

This is a traditional English recipe but I now live here and use village eggs and my home grown apples.
I am not a fan of the apple as it is, which is such a shame as we have masses, but in a cake, yum!
I have cooked many an apple cake here and it goes down very well with my Anglo/Bulgarian friends so I proclaim it as a soon to be traditional Vinogradian recipe. The recipe has been asked for and given to quite a few Bulgarians and is spreading round the region, the last one I took to a big celebration was talked about for weeks :-) Some English friends also adopted it and take it to all the Brit parties they go to so it is spreading through Northern Bulgaria. Try it and take it to your next Bulgarian party, they will love it.
This cake is delicious on its own, (I prefer it this way), sprinkled with icing sugar or served warm with ice cream and cream if you can get it or make it! So, perfect with café, as a hot or cold desert or just a quick snack.
It freezes well to so if like me you have a glut of apples batch bake and freeze to enjoy all winter!
Please don't use frozen or cooked apples as this cake is beautifully moist. If you use anything other than fresh Apples it will be horribly soggy.

225g Butter or Margarine
450g Apples peeled, cored and chopped small
Finely grated rind zest and juice of 1 lemon
225g caster Sugar
3 large Eggs
225g Flour (if not in Bulgaria SR Flour)
3tsp Baking powder or if using self raising use just 2 tsp
1 - 2 tsp Cinnamon
Put oven on 180c or 160c fan
Grease and line a 23 – 24cm cake tin
Toss apple in lemon juice. I do this while I am peeling and chopping so it keeps its colour.
Cream butter, sugar and zest until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time adding a little flour with each egg to keep it smooth.
Sift remaining flour, cinnamon and baking powder into the bowl and fold in.
Drain the apple well and stir into the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into cake tin and level top.
Bake for 1 hour until well risen and brown. After 10 mins remove from cake tin, cool and dredge with caster sugar or icing sugar, if you have it.
If it starts to look a bit too brown while cooking cover with baking paper after 45 mins
ENJOY!!!!!