Plymouth has an incredible 43 community orchards. The very wonderful Tess Wilmot from Always Apples told me that...so it must be true. At autumn time it can also get pretty blowy off the Atlantic. So there are always apple to forage. See what I did there!
For autumn, when apples are in abundance....
So whilst I am not much of a cook and definitely lame when it comes to my allotment, I do hate to see waste. At Penlee allotments, windfall apples are everywhere at the end of September beginning of October. Although they are on the ground or grass, you can rescue them and carve out some pretty decent flesh for this easy peasy cake recipe.
Ingredients
2-3 desert apples or the equivalent from windfalls
125ml apple juice
110g butter or margarine
110g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
225g plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 desertspoons of honey
A handful of almond flakes
Method
1) Line a 20cm (8 inch) loose-bottomed round cake tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F.
2) Remove the cores and dodgy bits of the apples. Cut them into small pieces the size of the end of your pinky finger.
Place in a bowl and cover with 125ml of apple juice and leave to macerate.
3) In a large mixing bowl cream the butter or margarine with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. If they mixture starts to split add a tsp of flour.
4) At the flour, spice and baking powder to the bowl. Mix well. Drain the apple juice from the apple pieces and beat it into the mixture to make a batter.
5) Add two desert spoons of honey and mix well.
6) Finally stir in the diced apples until they are evenly distributed through the batter. Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin.
7) Sprinkle with Almond flakes.
8) Cover the top of the cake with tin foil.
9) Bake at 180C (or 350F) for 45-55 minutes in the middle of the oven. At 45 minutes take off the tin foil so the top can brown.
Check the cake to see if ready by inserting a toothpick into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean you are good to go.
10) Serve with clotted cream obviously or vegan custard. Whatever takes your fancy.
Comments