The Times Magazine - UK (2022-01-29)

56 The Times Magazine

TOFFEE APPLE CAKE

Serves 10

f you are anything like me, you always

buy many more apples than anyone eats

and you end up with a bowlful of them

that you don’t know what to do with.

Well, here is the solution: a moist cake

packed with apple flavour. It’s the kind of

cake that suits any occasion. It can be a

showstopper but is also an everyday cake

and it keeps really well. In fact it tastes even

better a few days later.

For the cake

• 2 medium eggs


• 175g soft brown sugar


• 3 green apples, cored, peeled and grated


• 175ml olive oil


• 200g self-raising flour


• 75g ground almonds


• 2 tsp cinnamon


• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda


• 1 lemon, zest only


• Apple slices and gold lustre, to decorate

For the filling

• 4 apples, peeled, cored and grated


• 25g unsalted butter


• 50g soft brown sugar

For the icing

• 50g unsalted butter


• 100g white chocolate, plus extra
  for sprinkling


• 350g full-fat cream cheese


• 1 tbsp vanilla bean extract

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan (180C non-
   fan). Line and grease two 8-inch round loose-
   bottom tins.


2. To make the cake, add the eggs and sugar
   to a bowl and whisk till the mixture is light
   and fluffy. Now take your grated apple and
   squeeze out any excess moisture, add to
   the egg mixture along with the oil and fold
   through until you have an even mix.


3. Now add the self-raising flour, ground
   almonds, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda
   and lemon zest. Mix until you have an even
   cake batter.


4. Divide between the two cake tins and bake
   for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted
   comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for
   10 minutes and then take out of the tin and
   leave to cool completely on a wire rack.


5. To make the apple cake filling, place the
   apples, butter, sugar and 100ml water in a pan.
   Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and
   let the whole mixture cook until there is
   no more liquid and the mixture becomes
   a smooth even pulp. Take off the heat and
   transfer to a flat plate to encourage the
   mixture to cool down.
   6. As soon as the cake and filling have cooled,
   make the icing. Start by melting the butter
   and white chocolate and leave to cool. Place
   the cream cheese and vanilla in a large bowl.
   Add the cooled chocolate and butter and stir
   well until you have an even mix.
   7. Now to put the cake together. Add the first
   cake to a serving dish. Spread a thin layer of
   the icing on top. Scoop the rest of the mixture
   into a piping bag and pipe a ring around the
   top edge of the cake right on top of the thin
   layer of icing.
   8. You should have a cavity in which to add
   the apple filling. Spread into an even layer.
   Add the next cake on top. Pipe peaks of the
   rest of the icing on top. Take the apple slices
   and put in a bowl and cover in gold lustre
   dust and shake until the apple is coated.
   Now add sporadically to the icing peaks
   and sprinkle with the extra white chocolate
   broken into small pieces.

APPLE AND ALMOND TARTE TATIN

Serves 6

This is one of those recipes that can appear

daunting because it is supposedly tough to get

right, but it really isn’t. Crisp buttery flaky

layered pastry, with a layer of almond apple

puree and then thin slices of apple fanned out

and caramelised in sweet dark caramel, soft

but with just a tiny bit of crunch left? Yes, it

sounds complicated but it doesn’t have to be

at all. If you like a sweet dessert hot out of

the oven, this is perfect for you. You can also

use pears as an alternative.

For the apple and almond puree

• 200g apples, peeled, cored and cubed


• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar


• 50g ground almonds


• 1 tsp almond extract

For the caramel

• 175g soft brown sugar

For the filling

• 4 large green apples, peeled, cored
  and thinly sliced

For the pastry and finishing

• 375g ready-rolled puff pastry


• 50g flaked almonds, toasted

1. Start by making the puree. Add the
   prepared apples to a medium non-stick pan,
   along with the sugar and 1 tbsp water. Pop
   onto a medium to high heat and mix, then
   reduce the heat, put the lid on and leave
   on a low heat to reduce for 10-15 minutes.
   Check midway through cooking. What
   we are looking for is fully cooked, soft apples
   that we can turn into a puree.


2. Take off the heat and use the back of
   a fork or potato masher to turn the whole
   mixture into a smooth-ish puree. Place in
   a bowl and add the ground almonds and
   almond extract and mix thoroughly. This
   will help absorb any liquid and add to the
   texture and give the whole thing some
   nuttiness. Leave to cool completely.


3. Now start to make the caramel in a
   9-inch cast iron pan. Add the sugar in a thin,
   even layer. Set over a medium heat and
   drizzle in 6 tbsp water. Slowly the sugar
   should begin to melt from the edges inwards.
   Swirl the pan to encourage the sugar to
   dissolve evenly and keep going to until
   you have a beautifully golden caramel.


4. Take off the heat and leave to cool on
   the side. As soon as the caramel has
   completely cooled, add the prepared slices
   of apple on top in a fanned pattern till you
   have covered the surface of the caramel.
   Take the cooled almond mixture and
   spread this all over the sliced apple in
   a thin even layer.


5. Preheat the oven to 180C (200C non-fan).
   Lightly flour the work surface and roll out
   the pastry using your pan as a guide, so the
   pastry is 2-3cm bigger than the outside edge
   of the pan. Place the pastry on top of the
   apple mixture and, using the end of a spoon,
   tuck the pastry edge under the apple slices
   and caramel.


6. Pierce the pastry in the middle to make
   holes that will allow the steam to escape as
   the tart bakes. Place in the oven and bake for
   35-40 minutes. The pastry should be lovely
   and golden, with the edges bubbling with
   dark caramel.


7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool
   for about 15 minutes, which will give the
   caramel enough time to thicken slightly. Tip
   out onto a plate and you should have pastry
   on the bottom and beautiful soft caramelised
   apple on top.


8. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds and
   you are ready to serve with a scoop of
   ice cream. n

I

DAN KENNEDY

Eat!

SWEET