I think it’s always a good idea to start new things in an easy and simple manner. We can do complicated later when we’ve had chance to get to know each other better. So today, for our first baking project, we will be baking my mother’s apple cake.
The simplicity of this recipe is what makes it appealing. My mother would make this often for when we would come home from school, hungry and tired. She would make it into cupcakes if we had friends over to play on Saturdays. And she still makes it for the coffee break during her watercolour class.
The ingredients are few and simple: eggs, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, the tiniest bit of salt and apples. If you live in a country where the shops sell self-raising flour, than you can scrap the baking powder and salt leaving you with just 5 ingredients. Few and simple.
The first thing is to cream the sugar and butter. Use an electric mixer, a stand mixer or a whisk. Just mix,mix, mix. This is one of my favourite processes in baking. Creamy butter and sweet, sweet sugar… I could probably spread this on slice of bread and eat it very, very slowly with a content smile on my face.
Add the eggs and watch it turn a lovely, warm, orangey yellow. Perfect colour for this time of year. Make sure the eggs are well incorporated into the mixture. Next, throw in the flour, baking powder and salt (or self-raising flour). If you have time you can sift the flour and fold it in. Whatever method you use, the result will be delicious guaranteed.
Now add those sweet, juicy apples and give it all another couple of stirs with a wooden spoon. That’s it! Preparations done.
Now for the baking bit. Make sure you have your cake tin ready. Grease it or line it, the choice is yours. I prefer greasing with butter and dusting with flour. Then fill it 2/3 full, put it in the middle of your oven and patiently wait (what?!?) while your house fills with gorgeously, delicious smells of apples and soft, spongy cake.
Add coffee because it just makes sense at 3 in the afternoon.
And try not to eat it all on your own.
200g soft butter
200g caster sugar
200g flour (or self-raising flour)
2 tsp baking powder (eliminate if using self-raising flour)
pinch of salt (eliminate if using self-raising flour)
4 eggs
2 apples
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C.
Line or grease a cake tin.
Peel, core and cut your apples into cubes.
Cream butter and sugar using a hand mixer/stand mixer/whisk.
Add the eggs one by one mixing well between each egg.
Add the flour to the mixture.
Sir in the apple cubes with a wooden spoon.
Scoop the batter into the greased cake tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-45 minutes. Make sure when you insert a toothpick or skewer that it come out clean before you switch off the oven.
Let the cake cool for 5 minute before taking it out of the tin. Let it cool further on a wire rack.
