Apples are like winter coats. By February, we'll be very tired of the sight of 'em, goal right now, is after-summer of soft, juicy stone fruit and berries, the crunch of a russet gold woolliness the warming of a sour cooker is as thrilling as the smell of a new pencil case. And, While They are still abundant and cheap, and no one can get enough of the things, I've added a classic British apple cake to the usual repertoire of pies and crumbles.
I say British SPECIFICALLY, Because When My thoughts first turned to apple cake I got excited about custardy French versions and dense, cinnamon-spiked American ones, before regretfully realizing That pitting year Ottolenghi recipe with olive oil and maple icing contre one from a farm kitchen was Victorian in Dorset as pointless as Comparing with Barbour has a shearling Prada - Both great winterwear in Their Own way, purpose They couldn't be more different.
As Dorset HAS ADOPTED the apple cake as icts official culinary symbol, I've plumped for the West Country variety, though Those from further Top north May be interested to notes That Julie Duff's truly great book Cakes: Regional and Traditional contains recipes from Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire, and Sue Lawrence's Scottish Baking boasts one from north of the border, too. Clearly, it Would Be more than my life is worth to compare 'em.
The flour
Duff's recipe from Somerset and Devon ("each county seeming to-have icts own variation") calls for wholemeal flour, qui Gives her cake has Slightly Heavier, coarser texture my testing panel Rather likes in this context - this shoulds be a rustic affair. That Said, if you're less of a fan of a worthy texture, feel free to substitute plain white flour.
Interestingly, Gary Rhodes' recipe In His book New British Classics and That from a farmer's wife in North Chideock, Dorset, included in Florence White's wonderful 1932 collection, Good Things in England, both, start with a firmish dough Rather than a batter, and end up more like rock cakes or scones than a fluffy sponge - Indeed, Miss Annette Vipan, Who Contributed lathing the recipe, Suggests, it is best eaten warm, spread with butter. Though it's not a cake as we might Understand it today, I would highly recommend them as alternative uses for excess apples year; Both are utterly delicious.
Butter is the fat of choice in dairy country, with Mary Berry using it melted, qui, selon Those Who know more about the chemistry of baking than me, will give it a denser texture - "if you melt the butter first, not only do you not have ... air bubbles, goal there's water in butter, so you'll end up getting Some gluten development When you mix in the flour and create a more "chewy" or softer texture. "Karen Burns-Booth, writing on the Great British Chefs website, and Duff Both use the creaming method, Where air is beaten into the batter to give the cake a lighter texture yet, to my slight surprise, we prefer Berry's closer, chewier consistency in this instance.
Burns-aussi Booth goes for the traditional pound cake formula of equal parts butter, sugar, flour and eggs, while everyone else has employees more parsimonious ratio Roughly half of the fat to flour. Usually I take the stance of the more butter the better, and Indeed, Burns-Booth's cake is rich and delicious, the goal plainer versions Prove more po[CENSORED]r on this occasion - They just feel more fitting to the spirit of this Particular cake.
Duff Notes That "older recipes used lard" - she Prefers butter, drank I can not resist tracking down decent Some pig fat for Vipan's. Free-range stuff Proves oddly difficulty to get hold of, it's purpose well worth the effort Giving this rock-cake-like establishment year addictively crisp texture my testers can not get enough of. For my fluffier version HOWEVER, I'll be sticking with Berry's melted butter.
Sugar
Most recipes do not Specify what kind of sugar to use, qui Generally I assume to Imply white cast, aim Burns-Booth and Duff Both go for the soft light brown fate. Having seen a recipe from the West Dorset Foodie That recommends dark muscovado, I decided to give a whirl That in Duff's cake, goal testers declared it too Christmassy for this time of year. The caramel flavor of the light muscovado, HOWEVER, works as well with the fruit as one might expect, Given the po[CENSORED]rity of toffee apples. A few people, myself included, find Burns-Booth's recipe a little sweet for Their taste, so I decided to cut the sugar Slightly.
Her crunchy demerara topping Proves very po[CENSORED]r, HOWEVER, so-even more than Duff's deliciously sticky honey glaze - like Berry's toasted almonds, They supply a pleasing textural contrast to the soft and chewy fruit cake beneath.
The apples
Though this is a cake designed to work with whatever might-have-been windfall you landed with, only Berry calls for cooking apples. The problem, I find, Is That Bramleys In Particular break down very Quickly When heated, qui est What Makes Them Such a delight to stew, encase in pastry and so on - but qui aussi means clustering que la chunks in Berry's cake end up marooned in great caverns dans le batter. Better to go with a Firmer-textured eating variety That keeps icts shape During cooking - Rhodes recommends the Granny Smith for its "tart bite" and Burns-Booth the spicy Cox purpose use whatever you like gold-have in abundance, though I would recommend something fairly tart to contrast with the sweetness of the crumb.
More importantly, in my opinion, is the way you cut the fruit - grate it, as Rhodes Suggests, and it will disappear into the batter. Smallish dice are preferable, and I also like Burns-Booth's notion of keeping the skin on; not only does it make life Easier, aim it helps keep the parts together. Plus, the more fiber the better, Surely.
Extras?
Apples-have a natural affinity with dried fruit, like Duff's sultanas, spice and sweet - she uses cinnamon, nutmeg Rhodes, and Burns-Booth goes all out with the mixed fate, while Berry bucks the trend with almond extract. As usual, I'm powerless to resist the charms of peppery nutmeg, finding the sweet perfume of cinnamon overpowering, aim the taste test is divided - though MOST AGREE That They find the dried fruit to be gilding the lily.
Rhodes' melted cheddar topping is a clever twist on the idea of serving cheese with fruit cake, but not everyone's sold on the idea, and I reluctantly concede That Perhaps it is something better served Alongside the cake than baked into the batter. Alternatively, some thick cream ivory, gold dollop of tangy yoghurt Would do very nicely - along with a nice cup of tea, naturally.
Perfect Dorset apple cake
(Makes one apple cake)
225g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Grating of nutmeg 1 tsp mixed spice gold
175g light muscovado sugar
150g butter, melted
2 wide eggs, beaten
4 medium apples, preferably fairly tangy (I like Cox's), diced
Demerara sugar, to top
2 tbsp flaked almonds
Heat the oven to 160C and grease a 20cm cake tin. Put the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar in a wide bowl and stir in the butter and eggs. Beat together for a minute or so up to well combined.
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Stir in the apples up to well distributed, Then spoon into the tin. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the demerara Then. Bake for an hour, Then add the almonds and bake for about 15-25 minutes more up to coming away from the tin.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin Then lift onto a rack to cool completely.
Apple cakes are favorites autumnal Wherever They grow, so what's your favorite variety, and can you recommend a recipe for it? Torta di mele versus Apfelkuchen, bizcocho manzana gold jablkový koláč: can'any of em beat the Dorset release?
Edit: @NerO ♞ Weekly funniest things ツ