There are thousands of varieties of apples grown throughout the world; some are crunchy and mildly sweet, some are crunchy and super sweet while others are crunchy and acidic to taste. So our choice of the variety depends on whether we just want to snack on it or to bake with it - Apple Cake, Apple Bread, Apple Turnovers, Apple Tart, Apple Pie, etc. or to make Applesauce with it.
Apples are superb in cakes. They make cakes moist, naturally sweet and at times a bit sour making them a great snack for tea.
Ingredients:
- 180 g butter
- 120 g castor sugar
- 180 g self-raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 green apple (Granny Smith)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 red apple for decoration
Method:
- Peel the Granny Smith and chop it up into tiny pieces. Soak it lemon juice so that they will not turn brown. Set aside. (You may grate the apple if you like. However, I would like to be able to bite into them and taste the sourness in them.)
- Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time. Make sure that the egg is well-incorporated before another is added.
- Add the flour gradually till well mixed.
- Add the chopped or grated apple.
- (Optional) Add the ground nutmeg. Nutmeg adds a great flavour to the Apple Cake.
- Grease and line a 6 inch round pan.
- Pour the cake batter into the pan.
- Slice the red apple thinly.
- Arrange the slices on top of the cake batter to form a rose shape.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 deg C for 50 minutes. Check to ensure the cake is done by inserting a thin wooden skewer into the cake.
- Let the cake sit in the oven for 5 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar.
- Take the cake out and let it cool down on a metal rack.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cake.
- Serve. (You may serve with a dollop of ice cream on top of it.)