About 3 years ago now I worked in the restaurant of a garden center who did a spiced apple cake. I seriously couldn’t get enough of this cake – it’s a real diet ruiner. The problem was that when I left I was missing this cake more than I’d like to admit on the internet. I couldn’t find a recipe that seemed right ANYWHERE.
But don’t fear friends, I proudly bring you THE spiced apple cake recipe! I’ll stop rambling now and get to it.
225g butter 2 tsp ground cinnamon
225g light brown sugar 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs 85g sultanas
225g self raising flour 2 tbsp clear honey
3 small apples (I used Pink Lady)
Obviously it helps to preheat your oven, so stick it on GM4 and line your cake tin. Grab a large bowl and beat your butter and sugar together until it’s nice and fluffy, and then beat your eggs in one by one (the batter looks pretty gross at this point). Then add your flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and fold them in, followed by your sultanas.
At this point, I would highly recommend trying the batter – just a little bit. Mmmmmm.
Now peel and core your apples and slice them into thin strips – mine look a bit like chips! (?) Pour a third of your mixture into the tin and scatter over a third of your apples, add half of the remaining batter, more apple, the rest of your batter and the rest of the apple. Got it? So the bottom of the pan is batter and then it goes up in layers, finishing with apple (it doesn’t have to be neat layers, no one’s going to see).
Now put it in your preheated oven for 1 1/4 hours (WOAH!) until it’s nice and golden on top.
When you’re sure it’s cooked in the center take it out the oven and leave it to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully take it out the tin and put it on a wire rack. Warm up your honey (about 5 seconds in the microwave) and drip it into all the little crevices in the top and let it cool completely!
Mmmmmm, it tastes even better than it looks! And if you don’t like apple in desserts don’t think that you won’t like this cake because the chances are you will. I hate apple crumble and things like that but I love this!
Even though it takes a while to cook it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and get it in the oven – I’m 99% sure you can freeze this for a couple of months as well!
I’m not too keen on Christmas cake (when I say not keen, I mean it’s vile) so the chances are that this will now take it’s place!