Apple and Almond Cakes

My fruit trees are groaning with the weight of the apples and pears this year. Not only are there lots of them, they all seem bigger and better than ever before. And it's not as though I've lavished them with any special attention. The trees have been largely ignored as per usual. Whatever it is, I'm not complaining, I'm just thinking of all the delicious things I can make with them...

This recipe is based on my trusted apple cake recipe but with added almonds and a sticky glaze which gives them extra flavour. It also adds a beautiful shine to an otherwise quite plain-looking cake. Not that I mind plain-looking cakes; indeed, they are usually my favourite kind because it means that they are delicious enough on their own without having to add flavour and moisture with icings and fillings. Much like these...

I'm sending these to Treat Petite hosted alternately by Stuart from Cakeyboi  and Kat (this month's host) from the Baking Explorer.

RECIPE - makes 11

100g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g self-raising flour
2 apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
50g flaked almonds

1 heaped tablespoon apricot jam

12-bun muffin tin lined with 11 cupcake or muffin papers

 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sieve the flour and cinnamon and fold in, then add the apples and stir well to combine. 

Spoon the mixture in to the cases, filling each case as equally as possible. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top, trying to distribute them as evenly as possible.

Put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 mins or until the cakes are cooked and golden brown on top. They take slightly longer to cook than normal fairy cakes because of the addition of moist apple. 

Remove from the oven. Take the cakes out of the tin as soon as possible and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Warm the apricot jam with a splash of water. When the cakes are cool, brush the jam over so that it forms a lovely shiny glaze. 

Spiced Apple Cake

It feels almost as though everything I've been cooking and baking recently has involved apples. This year's crop has been spectacular not only for the quantity of the apples, but also the quality. There's been piles of huge, great, red-cheeked spheres all over the kitchen, awaiting their time to shine in chutneys, crumbles, pies, apple sauce. My fingers ache from peeling. 

Although the crumbles and chutneys have all been wonderful, my favourite use for this fragrant fruit however is apple cake. This year I have veered away from my usual recipe, dispensing with the walnuts which sometimes give a slightly bitter flavour to the cake. Instead, I've added muscovado sugar for a deeper, more rounded flavour and have upped the spices. The result is a lightly spiced, incredibly moist, delicious cake. I can't think of a time during the day when you wouldn't want a slice of this - breakfast, mid-afternoon, supper time - perfect.

As apples are still in season, I'm sending this over to Katie from Feeding Boys who this month is hosting Ren Behan's Simple and in Season challenge. 

 

The spicing in this cake makes it ideal for this time of year so I'm also sending it over to Janie from The Hedgecombers who is this month's host of Tea Time Treats (Bonfire Night), a challenge she runs alongside original creator and host Karen from Lavender and Lovage.

RECIPE

150g butter

90g caster sugar

90g muscovado sugar

180g self raising flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon allspice

half a teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 eggs

3 medium-sized apples or 2 big ones, peeled, cored and chopped into small dice. 

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Grease and base line a round cake tin, 22cm diameter

Cream the butter and both kinds of sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sieve the flour and spices and fold in to the batter.

 Add the chopped apples, stirring well to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top.

If you want a slightly crunchy top, you can sprinkle over a spoon of demerara sugar just before it goes into the oven.

Put in the oven and bake for about 30-35 mins or until the cake is cooked and golden brown on top. It takes slightly longer to cook than a normal sponge cake because of the addition of moist apple.

Remove from the oven. Take the cake out of the tin as soon as possible (without burning yourself of course) and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Apple and Walnut Cake

I first came across this kind of apple cake in Italy - I spotted it in a bakery, sitting proudly and invitingly on a wooden board under the glass counter, plump with the promise of fragrant, moist apple. Not being able to resist, I bought a generous slice and devoured it as soon as I reached home. It did not disappoint, the apple ensured that it was not dry like many other types of cake in Italy and the addition of cinnamon gave a spicy contrast to the sweetness.
I have since made it many times at home, varying it slightly as the mood takes me. For some reason I like to include walnuts if I make it as one, large round cake but I prefer to leave them out when making individual cupcakes (see here for that recipe).
Although the poor summer has had an adverse effect on a lot of fruit and vegetables this year, my apple harvest is fantastic, the trees groaning with fruit. I used one cooking apple and two red apples for this but you can use whatever you happen to have to hand.

I'm sending this to Katie Bryson from the lovely blog Feeding boys and a firefighter, who is this month's host of the Simple and In Season challenge, the brainchild of Ren at Fabulicious Food.

I'm also sending it to Javelin Warrior's wonderful weekly challenge, Made with Love Mondays.

RECIPE

150g butter

180g caster sugar

180g self raising flour

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on taste)

3 eggs

3 apples

40g walnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Grease and base line a round cake tin, 22cm diameter

Peel and core the apples. Chop into small dice. Roughly chop the walnuts.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sieve the flour and cinnamon and fold in, then add the apples and walnuts, stirring well to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top.

If you want a slightly crunchy top, you can sprinkle over a spoon of demerara sugar just before it goes into the oven.

Put in the oven and bake for about 30-35 mins or until the cake is cooked and golden brown on top. It takes slightly longer to cook than a normal sponge cake because of the addition of moist apple.

Remove from the oven. Take the cake out of the tin as soon as possible (without burning yourself of course) and leave to cool on a wire rack.

It is absolutely heavenly eaten still slightly warm from the oven but it also keeps very well because the apple helps the cake stay deliciously moist.

Apple and cinnamon cupcakes

These, like nearly all cupcakes, are really easy and quick to make and because they're not iced, they're ready to eat practically straight away. I used to (and still do on occasion) make a big version of these but nowadays I prefer the little ones purely because I hate peeling apples - you see, only two are needed in this recipe whereas there are three or even four in the full-sized cake.

I add cinnamon here because I think it has a natural affinity with apples but you can leave it out if you prefer.


RECIPE - makes 12

125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g self-raising flour
2 apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon

12-bun muffin tin lined with 12 cupcake or muffin papers

 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sieve the flour and cinnamon and fold in, then add the apples and stir well to combine.

Spoon the mixture in to the cases, filling each case as equally as possible.

Put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 mins or until the cakes are cooked and golden brown on top. They take slightly longer to cook than normal fairy cakes because of the addition of moist apple.

Remove from the oven. Take the cakes out of the tin as soon as possible (without burning yourself of course) and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Serve dusted with icing or caster sugar. I love to eat these still warm from the oven.