November 27, 2023 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
Generously spiced with cinnamon, not overly sweet and perfect with your morning coffee, your afternoon tea and for dessert. And it’s so simple to make! The streusel topping is optional .
INGREDIENTS
Apple cake
1.5 cups (approx 210 g) GF or plain all purpose flour
1 tsp BP
2 tsp cinnamon (or try cardamom, nutmeg or clove.
pinch of salt
150 g white sugar
1 large apple, chopped fine – peeled or unpeeled is fine: 1c
lemon peel
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
half cup (120 ml) olive oil or any neutral vegetable oil
half cup (120 ml) Greek yogurt
(opt) handful of chopped nuts ie pecans or walnuts into batter for crunchy texture.
Crumble topping (opt)
35g walnuts or pecans
30g GF or plain all purpose flour
2 Tab (30g) butter, softened
2 Tab (20g) brown sugar
half tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium-sized apple, sliced thinly
a few whole pecans on top (opt)
To serve (optional): icing sugar for dusting
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 160 °C, grease & line 8 or 9″ round cake tin/baking or loaf pan with paper.
Crumble: In a medium bowl, add all ingredients.
Mix with a spoon or fingertips until combined into pea-sized crumbles.
Cake:
1. Add drys to large mixing bowl, whisk until there are no lumps. Add apples and toss to combine.
2. Add wet ingredients to a large bowl and whisk enough to combine. Add to the drys and mix/fold until combined – do not over mix. Batter should be thick but still pourable.
3. Pour cake batter into prepared pan, smooth top with back end of a spoon or spatula.
To assemble and bake:
1.Arrange the thinly sliced apple on the top of the cake in ‘fan’ shapes or as desired.
2.Scatter the crumble in the gaps on top of the cake.
3.Bake cake in the oven for 30-35 minutes for 9 inch cake and 40-50 min for 8 inch pan (or 60-70 min in a loaf pan) til a skewer comes out dry. (Cake is very moist and there might be some crumbs on the skewer, which is fine). If cake is browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.
4.Allow to cool in pan 5-10 minutes. Then remove and dust with icing sugar. Serve and enjoy!
It can be kept at room temperature for 1 day or in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
October 30, 2023 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
This cake can best be described as a sticky toffee pudding meets vanilla birthday cake meets apple pie meets a pancake with apples on top. It’s a soft cake without much texture (you bake it until the apples fall apart and become jammy), which is usually something I’m against but here, I’m actively seeking that custardy, soaked cake energy. (from Alison Norman)
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
Non-stick spray (optional)
⅔ cup light brown sugar, divided – plus walnuts
2 large, unpeeled apples, cored and sliced (not too thin- you want some texture here)
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon BP
½ teaspoon bicarb
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
8”–9” cake pan (springform or regular) or pie plate, 1.5qt/8 inch square baking dish
Whisk
Plate and clean Tea-towel – ready for turning cake
1. Preheat oven to 160°C FF. Melt butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring or whisking occasionally until the butter starts to brown and foam – 2 to 3 mins, smelling like toasted nuts and caramel colour. Add vanilla bean if you’re using it and remove the pot from heat to cool.
2. Grease cake pan. If you are less confident in your upside-down cake flipping skills, line the cake pan with parchment (leaving some hanging out of the pan for easy lifting after).
3. Scatter half the brown sugar walnuts on the bottom of cake pan. Top with apples; set aside.
4. Whisk flour,BP, bicarb, cinnamon, salt and remaining brown sugar together in a medium bowl.
5. Whisk eggs & buttermilk together in a small bowl or the measuring cup. Add vanilla extract, if using. Add buttermilk mixture to the drys, mixing just to blend. (Don’t overmix or tough cake)
6. Remove vanilla bean if it’s in the butter. Whisk in the vanilla-y browned butter until the batter is smooth and streak-free. (Again, don’t overmix it, just until everything is well blended.).
7. Pour batter over the apples, smooth the top (although the batter is pretty viscous, almost like pancake batter & should smooth itself). Bake until golden brown & pulls away from sides of pan, and springs back lightly when pressed in the centre: 25–30 minutes.
8. Almost immediately, place a plate on top of the cake pan. With a towel under the pan, flip it over (this isn’t as scary as you think it might be, I swear) and remove. Alternatively, if you’ve got parchment under it, lift the cake up and out of the pan and flip it onto a plate. Serve with cream?