My collection of recipe cutouts and cookbooks suggested apple cake is an autumn recipe but the bunch of apples smiling from the fruit basket this summer morning said a different story.
The uncertainties hanging around suggested there’s no point in waiting for a perfect time for anything. We are stepping into a new normal and the rule of thumb in this life will be to live in the present moment. It’s the time to live in today. Show love, count the blessing, sit back in the comforting corner of the sofa, read a book that’s been waiting long to be touched and bake what the heart desires. After all, who knows what autumn will be like after this summer. 🌻
The apples invited to make the day nicer than ordinary. The slow breeze outside the window agreed with the apples and holding my cup of tea I watched them thankfully. They were ready to get in a group hug with soft butter, sweet sugar, nutty almonds and zesty lemon (of course they didn’t care about social distancing).
This cake recipe was picked a couple of years ago from the weekly newsletter of Lidl. I have always flipped through the pages of about 10-page booklets looking for recipes that are missing from my collection. I was satisfied adding another recipe with Irish apples as the hero to my humble lot. Felt like I’m doing justice to my life spent in Ireland where apples hold almost a sacred place.
I have tried this recipe a few times, with red apples. It has never disappointed. It sets a scented warm aroma in the house and every bite of it is an assuring comfort.
PS: No problem if you’ve fewer apples, it would still work well. I made a few changes to the proportion of ingredients in Lidl’s recipe to get a texture and taste that suits us.
I’ve explained the recipe in the following steps:
- Baking tin to use
- Method to prepare the cake mix
- Baking steps
- How to best enjoy the cake
Try this easy recipe during this lockdown and live the simplicity of apple cake baking. I would love to know your dessert story and the if you’ve attempted baking apples before. 🙂
Recipe of Apple Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 225 gm Butter (salted), If using unsalted butter, add ¼ tsp salt
- 450 gm Apples / 4 small apples
- 225 gm Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 190 gm Caster Sugar
- 3 Eggs, medium
- 25 gm Ground Almonds
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
Instructions
Baking Tin to Use
- Choose a springform cake tin for the apple cake as it is a soft and fluffy cake which will break while pushing out of a regular tin.
- Grease a 24cm springform tin with butter.
- If the tin isn’t non-stick, line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
Method to Prepare the Cake Mix
- Peel and chop the apples into small pieces or medium slices. Don’t stress on perfectly the size of apples as in the baking process apples will soften and blend in well.
- Whisk butter to make it creamy and then add sugar and lemon zest. Beat until it is airy and fluffy.
- Add baking powder and ground almonds to the plain flour, mix well.
- One by one, add the eggs and sift in the flour mix. Stir the mixture to combine.
- Add the chopped apples and fold them in so it’s loosely nested.
- Spoon the mixture into the greased tin.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.
Baking Steps
- Preheat the oven at 170˚C for about 10 minutes.
- Once the oven is hot, place the baking tin in the preheated oven.
- Set the timer and bake for 30 minutes and check the cake colour. If it looks too brown, cover the cake loosely with tin foil (recipe says so but I didn't have to cover the cake) and bake it further for 10-15 minutes.
- Use a thin skewer and test if the cake is done. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is ready!
How to Best Enjoy the Apple Cake
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the baking tin until it’s just warm.
- Apple cake tastes the best when warm or at room temperature.
- Serve the warm cake with the chillness of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It is a great combination, you will agree!
- But if you don’t have cream or ice cream available, simply enjoy the cake with a hot cuppa tea. Enjoy! 🤗
