My Burning Sweet Heart Apple Cake

I don't regret how much I love

And I avoid those who repent their passion

Hundreds of Sweethearts!

I am the love and the one

lovers long for. Blue, and a cure 

for blues, sky in a small cage

Badly hurt but flying

Everybody's Scandalous Flaw is mine

Rumi

This is not the story of the perfect apple cake, nor the easiest method. There has been hard labour put into this, and yet for some reason, my beloved, my cake, always ends up burning. Some times, love is like that!

(Please refer to the end of this blog for the update and adaptations that have made this painstaking work a perfection ;)

Some might say it's these ovens. 

So. I ask. Could you try and make this cake with your sweet heart and let me know what I might be doing wrong?

It is true. There are no regrets and no repenting here. Every cake I have tried and repeated has been devoured deliciously so much so that my last guests asked me to blog about its deliciousness and provide a recipe. 

So, this recipe is a mix between Mary Berry's recipe (more on the cooking side to try and avoid black ornamental features on my cake....) and this recipe for a German apple cake.. both of who proclaim to be the best

Well. This one burns. Thats all I am saying! It is delicious though!

Hearty Tips!

I added raisins, they just sank to the bottom then burnt.. However, if you soak them first, this did not happen, and they are quite delicious!

I added Hazelnuts to one recipe... absolutely delicious and I would 100% recommend a crunch with the sweet apple

Served with Love, this recipe was delicious, moist, and moreish... I simply cut off the burnt bits... but there are other ways... for example, waiting till the cake has cooled down and then taking a small sieve and scraping the burnt bit off... works a treat if you have the patience and the cake is for an important occasion!

Now its your turn!

Update

29.09.14 There has been an update to this recipe... I finally found the crux of the problem and have been able to successfully make an apple cake without the burnt bits (This is kind of epic, I am, afterall, defying Cypriot Ovens!) It was, as it turns out too simple to work out straight away... 

Simply instead of 4 apples, put 2. 

 I cooked it for 55 minutes and it was perfect.. no burn marks!

4 Apples may work in a conventional Electric, Fancy Pancy oven. But not in my tiny, gas oven made in Cyprus. Don't get me wrong, I love this country. 

My Burning Sweet Heart Apple Cake

Ingredients

1 Cup Sunflower Oil

2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Almond Essence (if you can find it)

2 tsp Cinnamon 

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

2 Large Apples peeled, cored and cubed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 160 Celsius or Gas Mark 3

2. Mix Oil and Sugar

3 Add eggs and all other ingredients as they appear on the ingredients list and whisk together

4. Add the apples and fold in to the mixture with a wooden spoon

5. Prepare a 9'' tin (maybe 6'' works better) with grease proof paper

6. Put mixture into baking tin, and then into the oven

7. Bake for 55 mins remembering to check if the mixture is cooked in the middle with a fork or other sharpish thin implement!

Remember to serve it with love!

Spicy Plum Compote

'The clear bead at the center changes everything
There are no edges to my loving now'
Rumi

OK peeps this recipe is deeeelicious.. very easy, multi use.. chocolate apple cake and pancakes (may be any thing with cake on the end) all really enjoy being tied up with this baby.. delicious on its own with yoghurt.. if you happen to find some Plums lying on the side of the road.. you must try this out 

I found this amazing recipe after finding some deliciously ripe plums on the side of the road, just asking to be made into something, if possible, even more delicious!

I began my search for chicken and plum recipes, but soon found that I had no clue how to made a plum sauce..  but I already had a delicious chocolate cake just waiting to be devoured and covered in compote and cream....

This recipe was used in Masterchef  and I only used the Plum Compote part... I had already made a delicious chocolate cake, and had some crème to whip it up with or drissle on...

The honest truth is that even though this chocolate cake was divine to begin with, the plum compote was able to compliment it beautifully, adding new textures to the cake and subtle contrasts as the two melted in my mouth! 


I have also used this recipe on Pancakes and with home made yoghurt on both Chocolate cake and Pancakes.. absolutely delicious!

Tips!

 


My adaptations to the recipe as I find it the easiest way to remember that; we don't always have everything at hand, everything can be done slightly differently, and there are some things, that just can never be left out!

- I adapted this recipe, as I thought that the skin would make the compote too sour.. the original directions highlight that you leave the skin on, and then sieve everything at the end, throwing away anything that doesn't get through... However, I removed the skin with my fingers, putting it aside and cooking everything else together. This also left the recipe with delicious bits of fruit in it.

- I have also tried this recipe with green and red plums... the main difference is how appealing it looks to the eye! My husband has certainly had less of it that the pinky one... although it is still very delicious
- This is a super simple recipe that enhances any sweet you may want to have (last night I had it on this delicious apple cake) 

Spiced Plum Compote

- 10 ripe red plums stones removed
- 100ml water
- 2 cinnamon sticks,
- 100g caster sugar plus extra if necessary

Directions

1. Remove the skin from the plums with your fingers and break the fruit into 2cm chunks

2. Place all the ingredients in a pan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, until the plums have  cooked down.

3.  Taste for sweetness and add more sugar is the fruit is too tart. 

4. Place into clean bowl and leave to cool.

Let me know how it was!