~ West Country Apple Pie Cake ~
Treats on Monday
~Monday 15th August 2011~
~ Lundi 15 Août 2011 ~ Assomption ~
TGIM! I know it is usually TGIF, but my weekend was long and busy……too many boring jobs to list here and I am not going to dwell on cleaning out hen huts, polishing copper or ironing sheets, nor will I talk about entertaining friends not once but twice over the weekend, well not in any great detail anyway, suffice to say, I had a manic weekend. The weather was abysmal and I needed about 36 hours in a day ~ yep, I had a great weekend what about you? Actually, I am being a bit of a grumpy old woman, Sunday Lunch was great……two good friends came over and stayed for 4 hours, now that’s what I call a good lunch ~ we chatted and put the world to rights and they enjoyed my cooking, well they said they did!
One of my friends is Cornish, from Cornwall in the West Country of England ~ a wild and rugged county that is hugged by the sea on most sides…or is it all sides maybe? I lived there for several years when I was younger, so we swapped tales of places we knew and loved, and as a nod to my Cornish friend, I made West Country Apple Pie Cake for pudding/dessert.
Now this is an old recipe of mine, I make it every Autumn when I can get my hands on good cooking apples, although eating apples are fine too ~ the ones with attitude though and not too bland please. It is made using the “rubbed in” cake method, which results in a firmer cake than a whisked cake, and the apples don’t sink to the bottom of the cake, so it’s like a cross between a cake and a pie, hence its name, West Country Apple Pie Cake. It is a naughty and buttery concoction with a crunchy Demerara sugar and cinnamon topping and is wonderful as a pudding cake, served warm with lashings of custard or ideally clotted cream, which sadly I cannot get in France, although I have made it in the past when I can get hold of raw unpasteurised milk.
I served it warm with crème fraîche and “squirty” cream ~ that useful canned and pressurised cream that so is handy to have in the fridge for pudding emergencies and Irish coffees….or maybe for the odd scone and jam or three, you know the stuff ~ we all say we don’t use it but in reality we all do! I could have made some custard, but my friends fell upon the “squirty” cream like cream starved demons and applied it so thickly that it looked like the best of Banksy’s graffiti wall art, so I left it at that…….not a pretty site but they were happy and that’s all that counts.
We had three bottles of wine with lunch which I think it very moderate, given that we were glued to our chairs for 4 hours, and I served chilled fino sherry with bread sticks and olives for aperitifs and amuse bouche ~ all very nice darlinks! The rain hammered against the kitchen window and we didn’t give a jot whilst we slurped and guzzled our way through the meal ~ I can definitely feel warm cosy fires and casseroles just around the corner. I’ll stop banging on for now and share my lovely West Country Apple Pie Cake recipe with you, and I hope you all had restful and happy weekends.
WEST COUNTRY APPLE PIE CAKE
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
225g (8ozs) cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
juice of half a lemon
225g (8ozs) plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
115g (4ozs) butter, cut into small pieces
115g (4ozs) soft brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2-4 tablespoons milk
25g (1 oz) Demerara sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a round 18cm (7″) cake tin.
Mix the apples with the lemon juice. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder.Add the butter and rub into the flour with the tips of your fingers, until it resembles sand or fine crumbs.
Stir in the sugar, then add the beaten egg and three quarters of the apples, mix well. Add enough milk to achieve a dropping consistency and pour into the prepared cake tin.
Scatter the rest of the apples over the top, then mix together the Demerara sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle it over the top of the apples.
Put the cake into the oven and bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch.
Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with cream as a pudding or allow to cool and serve as normal cake.
(Serves 8)
That’s all folks, I am sloping off for another wee wine! See you soon,
Karen
Marie says
Looks great Karen. I think meals shared with friends are the best meals of all! xxoo
Mitinita says
It reminds me that autumn is just around the corner…Can't believe these summers are so short.
raquel erecipe says
This sounds delicious. I love apples and I love cake, looks very moist.
Karen S Booth says
Thanks Marie ~ I agree, I love to have people around my kitchen table! It was a wonderful day.
Thanks Mitinita ~ this Summer seems to have been shorter than most, but I do welcome Autumn.
Thanks raquel erecipe ~ welcome! The cake is a very moist cake and makes a great pudding cake!
Karen
Amanda says
Ooh, this is the perfect recipe for a friend of mine who was just asking today about an apple cake with the apples in it, rather than under or on it. I'll be passing this on right away, thanks!
Karen S Booth says
Thanks Amanda, I hope she likes it ~ I only scatter a handful of apples on top, but they can be added to the cake if your friend prefers it that way.
Karen
Annie says
That looks delicious … I can't wait to give it a try. Funnily enough my Mum just called asking for help with their apple picking!
Karen S Booth says
Thanks and hello Annie ~ the apples I used were windfalls of our apple tree, not badly bruised so perfect for this cake…..the real apple harvest will be in a week or two, when my quince will be ready too.
Good luck with your apple picking!
Karen
La Table De Nana says
It sounds like a perfect weekend.
Chores for the soul..(I find they are:) )..friends for the soul..food ,wine.. that's what life should be about..sharing..and joy.
Lucky you!
The cake looks wonderful also.
kitchen flavours says
Your Apple Pie looks delicious! I love apples in bakes rather than eating them as they are! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by my blog and for following as well. You have a lovely site!
Have a great and delicious week!
Mary says
I know you must be tired, but it sounds like a wonderful weekend to me – Except maybe for the henhouse part :-). Your dessert looks grand and it is one I know my family would enjoy. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
carolinajewel says
Looks delicious Karen! I love the "squirty" cream name – that's what we call it too! We also call greated Parmesan Cheese "shaky cheese" – leftover names from when the girls were small. Can't believe autumn is just around the corner!
Inspired by eRecipeCards says
I am reading this in the morning, so an idea of a wee wine caught me funny.
And a 4 hour lunch with friends sounds perfect. Me, leave of the topping and add a slice of cheddar cheese on top, but that's the Midwesterner in me.
A wonderful post
Corina says
I just love apple cake. I'm not so keen on uncooked apples but as soon as they are cooked and added to any type of cake or pudding, I love them.
Karen S Booth says
La Table De Nana ~ to quote you…..
"Chores for the soul..(I find they are:) )..friends for the soul..food ,wine.. that's what life should be about..sharing..and joy"………….you are SO right!
Kitchen Flavours ~ thanks for dropping by ~ I love your blog, so it is a pleasure to pass by when I can.
Mary ~ yes, I was bushed, but I did have a fulfilling and happy weekend!
carolinajewel ~ LOL! Love the name for Parmesan Cheese, Shaky Cheese! Love it!
Dave ~ Inspired by eRecipeCards ~ actually cheese and apple pie is a VERY English/British thing too ~ especially where I come from in Yorkshire, so you are bang on there!!
Corina ~ thanks for stopping by ~ it is amazing how many people say the same thing, they prefer cooked apples!
Karen
Tina says
need to try this one! I like that it is only made with one egg.