Aha! You thought I’d gone away for the summer but I have one last trick up my sleeve before taking my self imposed August blog break. I realised I still hadn’t entered English Mum’s Big Bake Off and that this nutty apple loaf was just the ticket.
This is the cake that I made for the foodbloggers’ Masterchef event at the Miele showroom earlier this month. I brazenly lied to Mr Egg and Mr Toad that the cake only required 30 minutes in the oven, I knew full well it needed a good 45 but since I didn’t watch the show I didn’t realise contestants normally only get 60 minutes and had only skim read my email with the timings absorbing just the bare facts “you’ll be cooking between 2 and 4pm” blah blah blah.
It was with mild panic therefore that I realised 90 minutes before leaving the house that a) my apples in the fruit bowl had gone a funny colour and b) we had 60 minutes not 2 hours to make two items. My other item if you’ve not seen the previous post was Hazelnut French Macarons which were a foolhardy enough thing on their own.
Still, all that’s history now and it worked out fine. I’m not sure if Egg and Toad were just being polite or sarcastic when they said that the good thing about cake mix was that it tasted good even if it wasn’t cooked. They should know – cheeky so and so’s kept dipping spoons in my bowl throughout!
Anyway, just to prove that this cake recipe does work, here is the cooked version for your delectation.
I am supposedly signing off now during August for a technical break to finish my new WordPress site although I will be bribing all you folks to remember me by running a couple of giveaways in the meantime.
Starting today with….
I am giving away my copy of The Masterchef Cook Book, signed by Greg Wallace and John Torode. This giveaway is open to all readers with a UK mailing address. International readers are also welcome to comment however they will receive an alternative lightweight mystery prize if they win the giveaway. The first UK reader drawn will receive the Masterchef book. The winner will be chosen using an online randomiser and announced in a subsequent post on this blog.
To enter:
Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf
140g soft light brown sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
2 eggs
140g wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g roughly chopped walnuts
100g Hotel Chocolat caramel drops or chocolate chips
2 eating apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped into smallish pieces (smaller than butter beans but bigger than kidney beans).
You will need a 23 x 13 loaf tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170c / Gas Mark 3. Using an electric mixer (freestanding or handheld), beat the butter, sugar and jam until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time making sure that all the batter around the edge of the bowl is getting incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon then beat in the butter and sugar mixture. Stir the nuts, caramel drops and chopped apple into the batter by hand until mixed in.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until brown and the sponge feels firm. A skewer should come out clean although there will be some molten chocolate.
5. Allow to cool in the tin for a while before turning out onto a wire cooling rack. This is a moist cake and keeps beautifully in a tin for 4-5 days.
That's such a beautiful loaf. I think I'll eat half a loaf the moment it's out from the oven 😀 I can just imagine the lovely flavour and also the apple pieces and crunchy walnuts…mmm. Just love it. Hope you have wonderful day.
Loaf looks terrific. I make something similar without the caramel/choc drops but add chopped up prunes & splash of orange juice. Love the photos…looks divine. All good ingredients so nothing wrong with a bit of under-cooked cake, Mr Toad!
what a coincidence..i was just looking for an apple cake recipe and there ive found it 🙂
I love that photo of you putting the cake into the oven. Gives us all a picture of you, in action.
Wonderful bake Sarah, it looks so moist. I would love to enter your competition. I need no bribery to nominate your site – it is one of my favourites! 🙂 Lucie x
http://cookingatmarystow.blogspot.com/
Looks gorgeous! The caramal drops sound like a great addition to the recipe
Great photos, do I see an Alistair Henryish influence in your photography now?! Lovely spending sometime with you last week at the photography workshop!
:0))
Luiz @ The London Foodie
Scrumptious cake, Sarah!! No wonder Egg and Toad kept dipping in the batter! YUM!! 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic break and I look forward to the unveiling of your new blog. 🙂 HOORAY!!
I would love to win this. clairew137@yahoo.co.uk
The texture of this bread is just perfect! A great giveaway too!
This looks rather lovely – I've only made the banana bread from that section of my Hummingbird Cookbook – now I've got the Maltesers recipe out of the way time to get baking again!
Have a lovely holiday (sorry for the desperate HELP tweet earlier -forgot you were away) x
Btw forgot to say – those caramel drops are DELISH! I love the little tubs of caramel buttons too – better than buying a big bag as I'm less likely to scoff loads!
You're making me hungry!!!!
Your alterations sound absolutely perfect! I am the biggest fan of Hotel Chocolat (I actually work there part time), have you tried the salted caramel and praline marbles?! I think Hotel Chocolat secretly made them for me… it's my perfect combination! The loaf looks delicious. I need a slice of this NOW! 🙂
I also prefer the cakes that taste nice when they aren't cooked, especially the chocolate mixtures taste nice licked from the bowl…
I'll have to try adapting this to be gluten and egg free as it really sounds very delicious!
Very moist and scrumptious loaf.
Can't wait to give this recipe a go – i adore baking and own many cooker books (we make sunday, after dinner our baking day, and the children love joining in) Glad i found you page.
Shelley Jones from Warwick xx
P.s I have also joined your facebook page x
Cant wait to give this a try – sounds like one the whole family will enjoy
Caroline – Clacton on Sea
Sarah, I did think you would be away. I have to say that i loved the flowers in the first pictures your knife..and what about the beautiful, beautiful plate. Ok, I also love the recipe. Do not think that I am sad – I probably am..; o (
Lovely cake..looks rich and delectable!
Great recipe – like the inclusion of the caramel drops. We have a Hotel Chocolat near us….temptation…
Don't count me in for the draw. But I will definitely vote for you in the Cosmos.
Have a great August!
Wow, what a beautiful loaf…and loaded of yummie stuff 🙂
Looks great. I love the Hummingbird bakery cookbook, and I would love to have the Masterchef one – I am a Masterchef junkie!
Another Sarah – London
What a good lookin' loaf cake! Think I may have to draw a line under my banana bread obsession and try this number out. Our neighbour's apple tree hangs over our garden, so apple recipes are always welcome here…
Your pictures are stunning in this post btw… must try harder with mine!
Wonderful wonderful bake Sarah!!
Greatings from Italy!
I also "like" Maison Cupcake on Facebook as Barbara Palermo.
P.S. Of course I voted for your blog: in Italy we say "in bocca al lupo" to say…. good luck!
Doesn't that loaf look absolutely delicious… love that you came home and remade it Sarah! LOL, what a fiasco the time thing was. Am sure Egg & Toad were fine. That post was brilliant! Apple season is almost beginning here, so I'd better bookmark this beauty!
I have a UK address, so no problem. And I like you,irrespective of whether or not you give me another ticket! HUGS!
OMG that loaf looks delectable – so moist and chunky! And I nearly didn't recognise you with no glasses and all your hair tied back 🙂
I almost like eating the cake mix more than the cooked cake (same goes for cookie dough) so this sounds like a winner all round!
Hi, I am so bad at cake but you have almost persuaded me to give it yet another go.
Fantastic recipes.Could certainly do with help with my cooking
Take no notice of these 'Master Chefs' You do what you feel is right….I work with some 'M C's (well they think they are) one, his soup is disgusting ! He has to blitz it to a mush, and another, put some ready mixed pudding crumble mix on meat !!!! YUKK..Follow your taste buds not their swear words !!!!
Sophia from Newton Abbot, Devon days,
I LOVE baking! any addition to the tasty recipes out there is a welcome one! fingers crossed for your cosmo shortlist!
I'm not great at baking, but like to give it a go. Some of these ideas do look scrumptious
Nice prize – I love cookbooks 🙂
Thanks!
Emily – Harrogate
You only live once. That's why you should eat the tastiest every day. The Masterchef Cookbook will fix it.
Looks yummy xxx Fab prize!
ellen@webkin.co.uk
looks really nice and prize is fab i love the masterchef
The loaf looks wonderful and the photos are great too i can almost smell the loaf through them and i cant wait to try the recipe myself thank you
It looks absolutely scrummy!
Love cook books and going to see these two guys in action at the Good Food Show in October.
Unfortunately I have just become a diabetic but I shall enjoy cooking the loaf for friends & family & watch them eat it with envy!!!!
Looks fab – always keen to bake something new, so I'll give this a try.
yummy will have to try this!
Just remembered I had a UK mailing address.so we're on. I hope you're having a great holiday. LOL
If this is a sample, I'd love to have the book 🙂
I'm a massive foodie and would love to try out the recipes in this book. The fact that it's signed is the icing on the cake 🙂 Cheers, Katherine (London)
m m m m m looks delicious.
DeeNise Morton
That looks and sounds amazing….would love to win the book!!! Have a great August x
John and Gregg will be heartbroken that you're giving it away, you know.
Sarah, very nice styling and I like the Laguiole knife too! 😀
Well, sadly I was in Florida and missed the deadline unless you let an old friend slip in unnoticed? I love this loaf and this cooked version 🙂 looks fabulous!!! Gotta find you on FB now…
Your page is looking beautiful. Looks really clean and fresh.
Oh, and that cake looks pretty awesome too… yum!
Have a great weekend.
*kisses* HH
Love the idea of adding caramel drops to an apple cake. The new site looks great!
Wow a really beautiful cake. I think it’s perfect for tea time 😀