Like many other people this year, I haven't had nearly as many apples from my mother's trees as normal, but I still have a few. I'd been mulling over an apple cake for a while and wanted to include a bar of Lindt Luscious Caramel in it. Easy peasy, I would adapt Greg's cake of course. I made a larger quantity as I don't have an 8" cake mould, omitted the lemon peel, substituted chocolate for raisins and used cardamom sugar. I also substituted buckwheat for the specified cornflour and did my usual mix of flours. I also used, err, Cornish apples - shhhhh!
- Weighed out 10oz flour (4oz spelt, 4oz plain white, 2oz buckwheat) and sifted into a bowl with 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp bicarb of soda.
- Added 5oz cardamom (caster) sugar.
- Rubbed in 5oz unsalted butter until the mixture resembled breadcrumbs.
- Peeled, cored and diced 250g of tart apples (Cornish variety - label missing) stirring into the mixture to coat as I went along so the apples didn't brown.
- Made a well in the centre and added 2 medium eggs and 2 tbsp milk.
- Stirred until all combined.
- Added a chopped 100g bar of Lindt Luscious Caramel and stirred in.
- Spooned into a 21cm cake mould.
- Cored and sliced one tart apple, but left the peel on.
- Drizzled over 1 tbsp lemon juice to stop the slices from browning, then arranged the slices on top of the cake.
- Scattered over 1 tbsp of soft brown sugar.
- Baked in the oven at 180C for 35 minutes.
Luscious by name, lucscious by nature and the only way to describe this cake. The apple shone through and was complemented perfectly by the caramel chocolate. As you can see, we felt it was also complemented by a large spoon of Cornish clotted cream. I now feel the urge to stock up on this type of chocolate so I can include it in other apple cakes.
Best of British is sponsored by The Face of New World Appliances and hosted once again by Karen of Lavender and Lovage this month.
Gosh I love apple cakes but I've never added chocolate to them. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteIn my rather, err, extensive experience, I've found chocolate chips / chunks work really well in apple cakes, much better than making the whole thing chocolate flavoured.
DeleteLooks a gorgeous cake and great idea to use caramel chocolate. Sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteThank you Katie, that's high praise coming from the Queen of apple cakes :)
DeleteThat's a cracking looking cake, and of course the addition of chocolate is genius on your behalf. I am craving apple cake now though ...
ReplyDeleteThe one problem with it Chele, is that it just didn't last long enough. I can feel another one coming on ;-)
DeleteThis looks really delicious, although I think I'd go back to adding raisins, as I don't have your urge to add chocolate to everything! LOL!;)
ReplyDeleteSuelle, this cake would be excellent with raisins too I'm sure, but it wasn't just any old chocolate, it was caramel chocolate which gave it a special toffee apple edge.
DeleteWith chocolate caramel ... that is totally lovely. I know, that it is a good thing to post an apple cake for Best of British this month. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris. Just as well as it's a good thing, because I think there might be a few apple cakes ;-)
DeleteWOW! That is a STUNNER of a cake, and as Dorset Apple Cakes go, it is a BEAUTY! I have been working with caramal and chocolate today too.....for a secret TTT thing, but more about that later! LOVELY entry for Dorset and such a pretty cake too! Karen
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen, that's very kind. Now you are teasing - chocolate and caramel? Whaaaaaaaaaaat?
Deletestunning cake!... love the apples on the top and the recipe sounds fab, I must have a go at this... and then to top it all off with that incredible caramel chocolate included in the cake... wow... need it, want it, must HAVE it!
ReplyDeleteYou shall go to the ball!
DeleteA cake impossible to resist: apple cake is one of the best ones and yours is just perfect. Ciao!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alida, you are always very kind :)
DeleteThat is a cake of rare beauty - I adore how apples turn when baked, soft but firm and so delicious
ReplyDeleteThanks CC, I am always happy to see apple season come around.
DeleteThat is definitely my sort of cake. I love the generosity of the apple slices and they're really well arranged on the top. I can't say I'd have thought of adding caramel chocolate (though that sounds pretty good on its own!) but I'd love to try this with raisins. Yum.
ReplyDeleteThanks C, I really enjoyed having the different textures from the soft apple in the cake to the caramalised and slightly chewy apple on top. I'm sure this would be delicious with raisins too, but it did work well with that caramel chocolate ;-)
DeleteWhat a beautiful cake. I love the sound of adding caramel chocolate to the batter. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo - I was thinking toffee apples and it really worked :)
DeleteLooks beautiful. Nothing quite beats an apple cake x
ReplyDeleteThanks Miss C :)
DeleteI must confess that the first thing that I think of when I think about Dorset food is apple cake and, in my opinion, that's no bad thing at all. I've never tried it with caramel chocolate, though. Sounds absolutely lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true Phil, it's hard to beat a good apple cake, but adding caramel chocolate does make it that little bit more special.
Deleteooh that looks lovely...my lot would have to have that with custard!
ReplyDeleteYes Helen, custard would be lovely too.
DeleteNow that's what I call a cake, perfect for Autumn days with a hot cup of tea. Like your mum's my apples trees have had a recovery year for fruit, which hopefully means a bounty crop come next year.
ReplyDeleteAngela
Thanks Angela, lets cross fingers and hope so.
DeleteI love any kind of apple cake and yours looks perfect! I bet the addition of the chocolate really adds to the flavour too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katharine. Apple cake is just so right at this time of year. The chocolate is good, but it's the caramel that really makes it.
DeleteAnother great recipe Choclette! I will forgive you for using Cornish apples ; ) It looks absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteOh thanks Charlotte, I feel much better for that ;-)
DeleteWhat a great cake! I like the tip of stirring the apple slices into the mixture to coat so the apples don't brown. The chocolate carmel gives the perfect finish!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rita, all I can say is the cake disappeared rather too rapidly!
DeleteI really love your replacing the raisins with a bar of luscious caramel chocolate in this wonderful Dorset apple cake. I am with you on that one and now need to go and buy a bar just to check out how good it must be. Again, I love the flours you have used. I have just bought my first ever spelt flour so will be putting it to good use very soon although I am finding it very hard to have any time to myself this week, including commenting on blogs....half term you see :))x
ReplyDeleteGlad you approve Laura, it was a particularly good combination. Good luck with the spelt. Hope you are enjoying half term, even if it is proving to be rather busy.
Deletecaramel and apple is so perfect a combination and I just love this cake
ReplyDeleteThanks Johanna, it was such a delicious combination, I shall be using it again.
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