I wanted something easy yet delicious to bake on a lazy Sunday afternoon, so I chose an old favourite of mine, an apple cake spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. Great way to use up a few apples that are past their best, and the recipe can easily be adapted for use with other fruit. I have made this cake with pears before, but I can imagine it would be great with plums, apricots, or peaches, or you could try making it with nuts such as pecans or walnuts. Pecans, what a great idea!! I think I know what I’ll be making next Sunday.
Here are the ingredients:
2-3 Apples, peeled and sliced
250g Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
170g Sugar
3 Eggs
120g Softened butter
150mL Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste
Pinch of salt
And, whipped cream to serve with:
Turn on your oven to about 180 degrees Celsius, and grease a medium baking tin.
Throw all ingredients into a bowl (excluding the apples) and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Taste test for cinnamon & nutmeggy-ness, then taste again because its just so good. Half-fill your baking tin with the cake batter. Arrange a layer of apple slices over the whole surface of the batter, and then pour the rest of the batter in. Closely arrange the rest of the apple slices over the surface of the cake (you will find that they spread apart a bit as the cake rises), sprinkle with a little sugar and some cinnamon, and then it’s ready to bake. Bake for 45-60 minutes (I kind of forgot how long I ended up baking mine for!!) let cool and enjoy with whipped cream, late afternoon sun and a hot cup of coffee.
