I hate apples. Yep, I said it, I really do hate apples. If you see me eating an apple, best believe it was the ONLY fruit left when I needed a sugar boost.
There’s a reason for this though. In England, apples are cheap as chips and when we moved there, we always had apples in the house; apples and bananas. I would always grab an apple on my way out of the house; a healthy and easy to carry snack. Guys, I did that for 12 years of my life …… I over did it. By the time I hit 25, I couldn’t stand apples. Having said that, I didn’t actually mind cooking with apples. That was and still is probably the only way I’ll eat apples (oh and potato salad too)
My son on the other hand LOVES apples. In a week, he goes through 10 or 12 of them …. Even when his milk teeth are coming out, he makes us chop up an apple into pieces so he can still enjoy.
BUT I digress ….. I received a wonderful hamper from Pink Lady Apples Kenya and of course it included apples. My son ate one and I put the rest aside as I thought of what to make with them.
One of the items I eventually decided to make is an apple and cinnamon cake. A personal fave. Pink lady apples are perfect for this cake because they are not too sweet and hold their shape and texture pretty well. I also feel like apple and cinnamon have a very Christmasy, warm fuzzy feel to them.
I think YOU should also try and make this cake. Perfect to have with a cuppa or better still with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8
200 g self-raising flour
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
3 eggs
175g soft brown sugar
175g unsalted butter
1tsp vanilla essence
3 Pink lady apples, cored and cut into thin slices lengthwise
Honey to glaze the cake
Special Equipment
A 8” circular baking tin
Pre heat your oven to 180°C then line your pan with baking parchment ready for the cake.
Cream the sugar, vanilla and butter until the mixture is soft and a light brown colour. To this, add your eggs and whisk into a paste. Add the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and combine using a spatula. Once the mixture is well mixed, set it aside.
Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar over the bottom of the baking tin, and then arrange your apple slices in a circle around the edge of the tin. Work from the outside in to achieve a floral pattern. Once the apple is arranged, gently pour the batter over the apple making sure to spread it around without shifting the apples.
Put the batter into the middle shelf of the oven (to avoid the sugar burning and the top of the cake drying out) for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
NB: Cooking times vary depending on your even so be sure to keep an eye on your cake
Once ready, turn the cake upside down on a cooling rack and let it cool a little bit before drizzling some honey for a glaze. Serve with your favorite cup of tea or a scoop of vanilla ice cream