It contains fruit, so I’m going to tell myself this second slice is healthy – me
Of all my childhood memories, going to visit my paternal grandparents is one of the strongest. About once a month, we’d pile in the car and arrive at their bungalow where we’d be fussed over, photographed to within an inch of our lives and fed to bursting point with fishcakes, fresh salad and slices of plaited loaf slathered in butter, followed by tinned fruit salad and Tip Top (remember Tip Top?)
As the night drew in and we grew weary of playing Lemonade on our grandfather’s Apple Macintosh, we’d pile into my mum’s Volvo estate and roll home, stuffed full and clutching a home made apple cake.
That apple cake was, if my memory serves me correctly, one of the most delicious, moist, moreish cakes I’ve ever had. So this weekend I had a go at replicating it from memory. It’s not quite the same, but it’s pretty good. A sticky, comforting cake bar.
Ingredients
- 75g butter, room temperature
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 100g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1.5 Royal Gala apples
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tsp hot water
- A thin skewer or cocktail stick
- 1 medium loaf tins
- 1 loaf tin liners
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 180C (160C fan assisted)
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a fork
- Beat in the eggs
- Sift in the flour and cinnamon and stir through with a metal spoon
- Peel, core and grate the apples (on the large side of the grater)
- Fold the grated apple into the cake batter
- Line the loaf tin an fill with the batter
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until it springs back in the centre if gently pressed
- Set aside to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then skewer all over
- In a bowl, stir together the honey and water then spoon over the cake
- Allow to cool completely then lift the liner out of the tin – the paper should then come away from the cake easily
Serve with a cup of tea and don’t expect it to last very long.
Added note: I recalled as I was going to bed last night that my grandmother always kept the cake for us in the fridge, so I chilled ours over night and it’s exactly how I remember it. Give it a try!
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Oh yes, it’s apple cake time of year again. I’ve not come across one using grated apple before, it looks and sounds lovely.
Very topical recipe as the Jewish New year, which we are celebrating today, is heavy on honey cakes and other honey foods. I like the idea of honey cake with apple.
Indeed! My dad’s side of the family is Jewish :) L’Shana Tova!
Thank you. I guessed – who else serves gefilte fish and salad with challah and butter for a weekend lunch. And then takes loads of photos of the grandchildren. It was obvious. :o)