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Harvest Home, A Seasonal Bake for the Autumn Table, Harvest Apple Cake

Yum

Harvest Home, 

A Seasonal Bake for the Autumn Table

~ Harvest Apple Cake ~

As Autumn envelops us and mists really do pervade the season, there is one British event that I always look forward to, Harvest Festival. I remember setting off for school armed with home-made bread, bakes and tinned food that my parents had donated for the school’s Harvest festival. We would all troop down to the local parish church to take our harvest booty, and oh, what I sight greeted us; swathes of corn and wheat, some still in stucks from the fields; baskets and old wooden boxes overflowing with lovingly tended fruit and vegetables, fresh hen’s eggs nestling on beds of straw and regimented stacks of tins that even the most diligent quarter master would be proud of! And, flowers EVERYWHERE! It was a delight – a sense of relief and achievement hung like an aura inside the cool stone walls of the church. It is with this wonderful Autumn festival in mind that I made this Harvest Apple Cake for Kate’s Autumnal Baking Challenge as well as The Pink Whisks Apple Challenge for October too.

Although we tend to celebrate Harvest Festival towards the end of September and throughout October nowadays, the traditional date falls on the first of August and is called Lammas day. (This is believed to be a corruption of “loaf-mass”, due to the loaves of bread that were taken to church, or “lamb-mass”, as lambs were often dedicated to the church on this day as well). Lammas day was the festival of the first harvest, also called “The Feast of the First Fruits”. As wheat tended to be the first crop to be harvested, it was customary for parishioners to take a loaf of bread made from the new crop to church, as a gift – the beginnings of our modern Harvest Festival in churches and schools.

  At Harvest time, it was traditional to make a ceremonial corn figure; called “Harvest Queens” or “Kern Dolls” from the last sheaves of corn that were cut, these figures were believed to harbour the “Corn Spirit”. The Kern Doll was then dressed in white and festooned with coloured ribbons and taken to the Harvest Supper to be placed in pride of place.  Another tradition was to plant the Kern Dolly in the following spring on Plough Monday; this was supposed to release the “Corn Spirit” and ensure a bumper crop and harvest for the year. I remember making smaller versions, simply called a Corn Dollies, when I was at primary school – they were considered very lucky, especially when hung up in your homes and particularly in kitchens.

Image taken from Corn Dolly co uk    

Harvest Home or Harvest Festival is sadly on the decline as our churches struggle to attract worshippers and rural communities diminish, although luckily, Harvest Home Suppers appear to be on the increase in some rural areas of Britain. It would be a great shame if we lost this poignant reminder of bringing the harvest home for the lean winter months.  Hopefully this recipe and the cooking challenges I have made this cake for will remind us of what a lovely time of year this is, a time to GATHER in, as well as being an opportunity to give to the less  fortunate than ourselves. So, with that in mind – let us away to our kitchens!

English Apples & Pears Website    

 

Harvest Apple Cake

A simple and easy to whip up apple sponge cake; baked in a tray for easy serving – cut into bars or squares for picnics, school or office lunch boxes & for tea-time treats! (Although I used a round cake tin as seen in the photos for a smaller cake.) It is DIVINE served hot with cream, custard or ice cream for a great autumn pudding. This type of cake is often called Dorset or Somerset Apple cake, but it is really quite popular in nearly all of the English counties, especially during apple harvest season. I have stipulated Bramley apples, which are the queen of British cooking apples – in the absence of these, any tart or sharp “Apply” flavoured or regional “cooking” apples will do.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb (450g) Bramley cooking apples
  • 1/2 lemon, juice of
  • 8 ounces (200g) butter, softened
  • 10 ounces (250g) golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces (320g) self raising flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons Demerara sugar

 

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F or Gas mark 4.

2. Grease & line a rectangular baking tray – approx 9″ x 7″ (27 cms x 20 cms) or a round cake tin 9″/27cms.

3. Peel, core & thinly slice apples; squeeze the lemon juice over them to stop them discolouring and set them to one side.

4. Place butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour & baking powder into a large roomy mixing bowl & mix well until smooth. You can use an electric hand whisk if it’s easier.

5. Spread half of the cake/pudding mixture into the prepared tin. Arrange half of the apples over the top of the mixture.

6. Repeat the layer with the remaining half of cake/pudding mixture & apples – the apples should be arranged over the top of the cake/pudding mixture. Sprinkle over with the Demerara sugar.

7. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown, well risen & springy to the touch. Leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes & then cut into squares or bars.

8. Wait until the cake has completely cooled before removing the cake & the baking paper from the tin – store in an airtight tin or container.

9. If you wish to serve this warm as a pudding, wait 5-10 minutes and then cut and serve with cream, custard or ice cream. It can also be microwaved too, for a future hot pudding.

 See you later!

Karen
This recipe was developed and written by me and originally published to the Country Kitchen Magazine in 2009. 
Karen S Booth

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Comments

  1. Annie says

    Just catching up now I'm back on my feet … and I missed so much here … Karen your output of spectacular food is just amazing!

    Reply

  2. PaulaG says

    Very interesting read and the recipe looks outstanding. I may have to see if I can covert some of your recipes to suit my diet. They look amazing.

    Reply

  3. Heather says

    This looks soooo good! I really want to make this! I need to get some apples 🙂 quick question though– what is demara sugar?

    Reply

  4. Jacqueline says

    What a beautiful, beautiful cake Karen. The sponge looks as soft and inviting as a pillow. Fabulous!

    We have a Lammas fair in St. Andrews in August. Haven't been to it in a while though. Nice post.

    Reply

  8. Kentish Keg-Meg says

    I remember Harvest Festivals like that with such fondess ,so thank you for bringing happy memories to me.

    Reply

  9. millefeuilles says

    I'm here too, Karen to say thank you for the trip down memory lane. I used to love Harvest Festival when I was at school in England.

    I shall be making that cake on Sunday. I absolutely adore apple cake and this one looks perfect.

    ps I have just attempted Cathleen's Fudge recipe (My Sewing Serenity) and it was PERFECT!!! Another childhood memory indulged.

    Reply

  11. Karen S Booth says

    Hope you feeling better Annie ~ your book should be with you soon too! Thanks for stopping by!

    Thanks Paula ~ let me know if you manage to change this recipe to suit your needs!

    Thanks Heather ~ Demerara sugar is raw cane sugar ~ does that make sense?

    Thanks Jac ~ I think Scotland is the only place left in the UK that still celebrates Lammas as it should be celebrated, that is wonderful!

    Thanks Prairie Rose! How is that little kitten doing?

    Thanks Tori ~ it is a real seasonal pud, thanks for stopping by!

    Thanks Jude ~ I love apples in baking and cooking.

    Kentish Keg-Meg ~ I wish we still celebrated them in the same manner, I am glad I brought back memories.

    Thanks Stephanie, so pleased to have brought back happy memories! I must try that fudge too, I love home-made sweeties!

    Reply

  12. Choclette says

    Your cake looks fabulous. I made an apple cake today too, but it doesn't look a quarter as good as yours. Always good to get a bit more insight into our traditions and although I knew Lammas was associated with bread, it's good to find out a little bit more about it. I did a bit of corn crafting at the Eden Project – the day I didn't meet Dan and they had some amazing ones on display similar to the one on your blog.

    Reply

  13. Karen S Booth says

    I bet that day at the Eden Project was really interesting, shame you didn't meet Dan though ~ another time….I would love to make corn dollies as nicely as the ones I have shown here……I love old British feasts and festivals!
    Karen

    Reply

  14. Ren Behan says

    Mmn, it looks so soft and light in the middle but crunchy on the top. Exactly the kind of cake the Bramley apples in my garden need to find their way into!

    Reply

  15. La Table De Nana says

    I have a handwritten recipe from more than 25 yrs ago..for a Harvest Apple Cake:)
    I am going to compare..some words are different but it even looks the same..

    I will do yours next~I have made so many in the last almost 40 yrs..and never have I not loved one:)
    Thank you~

    Reply

  16. Jay says

    Hy Karen,
    cake sounds scrumptiously tasty..
    first time here…love your space…
    amazing posts with excellent presentation..
    Am your happy follower now..;)
    do stop by mine sometime..
    Tasty Appetite

    Reply

  17. Karen S Booth says

    Thanks Ren! I think your Bramleys would be perfect for this recipe….and your children would love this cake too.

    Reply

  18. Karen S Booth says

    Aren't hand-written recipes a wonderful piece of culinary treasure Monique. I would be thrilled if you tried my recipe, it was developed for submission and published in a British magazine I used to write for a couple of years ago…..I would also be interested to see and try your recipe too!

    Reply

  19. Karen S Booth says

    Hello and welcome to my world Jay! Thank you so much for your kind and supportive comments, I would be delighted to visit your blog and I hope you visit me here often ~ there is always a pot of tea here! On my way over to see you now and thanks for following me too.
    Karen

    Reply

  21. Corina says

    I love these types of cakes with fruit in. I also remember going to Harvest Festivals as a child. My dad's a farmer and we lived in a small village so going to the Harvest Festival and then the harvest supper afterwards was one of the biggest community events of the year. Now I live in London so could easily forget about harvest time altogether!

    Reply

  22. Karen S Booth says

    Thanks Shu Han ~ I MUST go and check your cake recipe out, you can never have too many apple cake recipes!

    Reply

  23. Karen S Booth says

    Hello Corina! Harvest festivals are magical aren't they? The memories that lots of us seem to have are precious…..I am very envious of your REAL Farmer's Harvest Suppers ~ maybe you can host one in London now, as a seasonal treat for you and your family and friends!

    Reply

  24. Working london mummy says

    this looks delicious. My husband was reminiscing about a cake like this his grandmother used to make him so I may have to steal this x

    Reply

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