Apple and Cinnamon Cake
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 10:40AM Today is the 21st October 2009 and it is officially British Apple Day, hurray! So, bearing that in mind, and as today is rainy and autumnal outside (well, it is here), I thought it was about time for a bit of allergy friendly baking, and what better way to start than by making my APPLE AND CINNAMON CAKE. It’s rich and sweet, with dates and nuts. The base is almost biscuity, followed by a rich apple sauce filling; perfect for cold afternoons and cups of tea or feeding to little people with large allergies.
Apparently, we have been celebrating apple day for the last 18 years and quite rightly so in my mind. There are such an amazing variety of apples out there, some crisp and sharp, others sweet and juicy and we are so often not given the opportunity to see, let alone taste, the choices that can be found.
Apple day is not only about celebrating one of our amazing native fruits but also about reminding us where so much of our food really comes from. I have nothing against (most) supermarkets; they do us a good service. But there is nothing quite like the flavour and choice that you will find in a farmers market or greengrocers, full to the brim with locally sourced produce. I am definitely not here to preach but we cannot underestimate the importance in valuing the links between food and the land, between natural resource use and the impact we have on nature.
There, I’ve said my piece now and it wasn’t so bad was it? Now on to the really important stuff: I love cooking with apples, you can’t beat a classic apple crumble with (oat) cream, baked apples stuffed with ground almonds and brown sugar, a spiced apple chutney to accompany cold meats or, dare I say it, a selection of cheeses (just count yourselves lucky you tolerant people!) I even love a good old fashioned glass of apple juice – the real stuff of course, none of that amber coloured viscous liquid that looks like it’s something to do with a chemistry set. I have my favourite varieties, the crisp braeburn, the intense discovery, the sweet crunchy pink lady. But when it comes to cooking, the bramley apple is really the only way to go.
APPLE AND DATE CAKE
225g dairy free spread (Pure Sunflower Spread)
225g soft light brown sugar plus 1tbsp to finish
3 eggs – 3 heaped tsps Orgran No Egg Replacer mixed with 6tbsp of water
3½tbsp rice milk
90g walnuts plus 10g to finish
100g medjool dates
225g Doves Farm Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour
1tsp xantham gum
2 heaped tsp Gluten Free baking powder
400g bramley apples (weight when peeled and grated)
1tsp ground cinnamon
Icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180c (160c Fan) and grease a 8inch round cake tin, then line the base with baking parchment. Begin by peeling and coring the apples and then, using a food processor, grate them. Finely chop the medjool dates and break up the walnuts into little pieces. Whisk together the egg replacer and water until fully combined and slightly fluffy. Then combine the dairy free butter, sugar, egg replacement, rice milk, dates, walnuts, flour, xantham gum and baking powder in to a large mixing bowl. Beat together until thoroughly blended together and glossy.
Spoon half of the mixture in to the lined tin and level, cover with the grated apple and sprinkle evenly with the ground cinnamon. Spoon over the remaining mixture and level the surface of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with the remaining sugar and walnuts.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the cake is risen and golden brown on top (you can test be piercing the centre with a slim knife or skewer, if it comes out clean then the cake is cooked through). Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When ready to serve, sprinkle with a dusting of icing sugar.
Reader Comments (9)
A friend gave me some cooking apples from their garden the other day and I met Pippa - my neighbour - as I was carrying them up the stairs. I offered her some of the apples and she told me she would be baking soon and was happy to take some. Yesterday I cycled home from work in the pouring rain and as I came up the stairs a fine sweet fragrance was wafting from Pippa's flat - aha I thought - and sure enough a few moments after I'd got in there was a tap at my door and she offered me a couple of fat slices of her apple and date cake. I'm not a great cake eater but sat down to dry out by the fire and tucked in - and it was DELICIOUS!! I had to immediately knock at her door to sing praises - utterly yumptious - juicy and tasty and you'd never know the ingredients were limited to allergy free. I used to work in wholefoods and have had many a worthy 'everything free' snack - but this was in a class of its own - highly recommended!
Ahh thank you so much Dinah for your lovely comments and thank you for the wonderful apples. We couldn't have done it without you!
yummmmmmmy. Just made it for a second time, yuuummmmmmy. Love how it tastes the next day
delicious.
So glad you like it Julia. It ages quite well doesn't it?! It also works very well reheated and served as a proper pud, perhaps with some Oat Cream or Dairy free custard.
Happy baking x
Dear Pippa,
I made your apple and cinamon cake the day after finding your site.. It was just as delicious as you and the others who have commented on it said it is . I have passed on details of your site to friends who tasted it!
The aubergines are already bought to make the sauce for tomorrow's supper.
Thankyou.
Judith
Dear Pippa,
I made your apple and cinnamon cake the day after finding your site.. It was just as delicious as you and the others who have commented on it said it is . I have passed on details of your site to friends who tasted it!
The aubergines are already bought to make the sauce for tomorrow's supper!
Thankyou for the recipe
Thank you so much. I made this to take to a dinner party where I was the only gluten free guest but everyone loved the cake and commented how delicious it was and how fabulous it looked! I shall continue to follow your blog with interest as I am gluten free and my 14 year old son is dairy and egg allergic. He's keen to cook and on the way to becoming a very accomplished chef. Thank you!!
As you may have guessed, I m working through your cakes!!! Do you think this one would work without the walnuts? Hope so - looks delicious. Just made tomorrow's packed lunch for my eldest with a slice of harvest cake. Yum
Hi Gill, so pleased you're enjoying the cakes. Yes, you can leave out the walnuts but I would supplement an extra 25g of flour. Hope this helps.
Pippa