I especially love picking blackberries from the hedgerows and watching as the apples start to ripen on the trees in my garden. Autumn is also a great time for game and as the season progresses there is more and more of it available. This is a time for hearty stews, hot soups and substantial puddings – foods that are warming and comforting to eat.
The abundance of the
autumn months has a profound effect on my general sense of well-being and
brings my passion for cooking and experimenting with food to the fore. As the
days get shorter, I feel compelled to produce dishes that are nourishing but
cheer me up as.
I usually use cooking
apples in this cake but you could also use tart eating apples. I have a couple
of Bramley apple trees in my garden but I find that have struggled to produce
fruit whereas the other apple varieties that I have are laden with fruit each
year. Although I would have preferred to have used some of my own home-grown
apples I had to make do with some Bramleys that I bought in my local fruit and
veg shop. This didn’t take away from the flavour of the finished cake which was
magnificent.
This is one of those
cakes that is lovely served slightly warm and demands to be eaten with a hot
cup of strong tea. It keeps incredibly well but if it lasts more than a couple
of days it benefits from being warmed up in a low oven for 10 minutes or so
before serving.
The apples do release
some moisture during baking so it can be tricky to judge when it is done using
the trusty ‘skewer inserted into the centre of the cake’ method but if you
follow my timings and use the same sized cake-tin that I did, you should be
rewarded with a lovely moist cake which is baked all the way through.
If you like you can add a
teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the cake batter when mixing – the smell of the
spice as the cake bakes is heavenly!
Ingredients:
450g cooking apples,
peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
Cake:
225g butter, softened
280g caster sugar
4 large eggs
340g self-raising flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
(optional)
2 tsp vanilla extract
To finish:
2tblsp caster sugar
2tblsp of apricot jam
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Grease the inside of a 20cm round spring-form with butter and line the base with a circle of non-stick baking paper and set aside.
2. Place the apples in a
bowl and pour in the lemon juice to prevent the apples from discolouring.
Gently toss the apples so that they are coated in the apple juice. Set aside.
3. Place the butter and
caster sugar in a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat
together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, mixing well after each
addition.
4. Sieve the flour and
cinnamon (if using) together and fold into the creamed mixture, making sure
that it is well incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract making sure that it
is well mixed in.
5. Spoon half of the mixture
into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly. Place half the sliced apples on
top, spreading them out so that they sit in an even layer.
6. Top with the remaining
cake batter, again spreading it out evenly so that it covers the layer of
apples. You don’t have to be too particular about this as the cake mixture will
spread as the cake bakes. Finally top with the remaining apples, placing them
in an attractive design on top of the cake. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of
caster sugar.
7. Bake in the preheated
oven for 40 minutes and then reduce the heat to 160C/ Fan Oven 140C/ Gas
Mark 2 and cover loosely with some tin foil. Bake for a further 30-35 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and
allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before removing.
To finish:
9. Place the apricot jam in
a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring up to the boil and allow
bubble for 1 minute. Pass through a sieve into a small clean bowl. Discard the
contents of the sieve. Brush the heated and sieved jam over the top of the
cake.
NOTE: The cake can be
served warm or allowed to cool completely.
Serves 10-12.
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