The Apple Cake, Revisited...

After the cake that didn't quite make the grade last week...over here...I decided yesterday to bite the bullet and have another go at an Apple Cake...I was still after the type of cake that could be served either warm as a pud or cold with a coffee...and it had to be apple!!
So with this in mind...plus the memory of what went wrong last time, and what I wanted to change...I grabbed some Braeburn Apples from the fruit bowl and took myself off to the kitchen...I had spent a bit of time researching different styles of apple cake since my last attempt, and so I knew I wanted to make it a bundt cake...and I was also toying with the idea of making a cake batter similar to those in carrot cakes, where oil is used instead of butter...


All in all I had in mind a spicy, cinnamon'y', apple'y', bundt cake...and hence the Cinnamon-Apple Bundt was born!!


Ingredients:
* Apples - about 300g or 4...I used eating apples this time, and we love Braeburns, so that's what I used!!
* Ground Cinnamon - 2 tsp
* Sugar - 400g light brown muscovado - I wanted a kind of toffee apple taste...
* Oil - 300ml, vegetable oil only...it needs to be tasteless...
* Vanilla - 2 tsp
* Eggs - 3 large
* Plain flour - 450g
* Bicarb - 1tsp
* Salt 1tsp
* Almonds - chopped, 100g (optional)
* Milk - 2Tbsp


Toffe/Caramel'ish' Glaze: (optional)
* Sugar - 100g, light brown muscovado
* Milk - 2Tbsp (wanted a lighter alternative to cream)
* Butter - 2Tbsp
You also need a large Bundt pan (greased and floured)...and the oven should be preheated to Gas 4/180c

Start by peeling, coring and dicing the apples, like I said earlier, I used 4 Braeburn apples that weighed about 310g once prepared...then toss the diced apple in the ground cinnamon....(no lemon juice in sight for this recipe!!)...oh and I added the chopped almonds here too...I wanted the almondy taste that I got last week, but with a bit of a crunch this time...

...In a large bowl, add your sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil...using a hand whisk, whisk it up until it is as light and fluffy as you can make it...

 ...so that it should look like this...

 ...in another bowl, weigh out your flour add the salt and bicarb, and slowly fold into the sugar/egg/oil mix...I found this was easier by hand, rather than using the whisk on slow...

 ...finally fold in the apple mix, add a couple Tbsp milk and...

 ...pour the batter into your prepared tin...(don't forget to preheat your oven to Gas 4/180c)...

 ...Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 and 1/4 hrs...but I would check after about 1hr...as ovens really do vary quite a bit!! It took 75mins in mine...

...Leave it to cool for a good 30 mins in the tin before turning out to cool properly on a rack...

 ...at this point it was smelling wonderful, that lovely cinnamon'y' scent had filled the kitchen...but I knew there was something missing...A Glaze was needed!!

 ...As I was after a toffee-apple-ish cake, I decided to make a Toffee/Caramel'ish' Glaze...

...so basically pop all the (glaze) ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time...cook for about a minute, stir again, allow to cool for about 5 mins then... 

 ...drizzle all over the cake...

And the verdict...it was great, in that it ticked all the toffee, cinnamon, apple boxes...but the glaze was wrong, delicious, but wrong for this cake...maybe more of an accompanying cream'y' cheese type frosting would be good...like the one on these muffins here...but not on the cake itself, alongside on the plate, like a dollop of cream...We've yet to try it warmed...as it was made and then we had to go to a St George's Day Parade (The Smalls are in Guides and Cubs)...but it was good...maybe I will warm a piece tonight for pudding...with some ice-cream...will update if I do...but for now, we have a lovely cake to have with our coffee...  


**A quick update for you all...I've just had a slice warmed in the microwave...with a cup of coffee...and it was delicious...it didn't dry out and would definitely go with some cream or custard poured over the top as a simple pud...I'm loving the crunch of the nuts against the soft, toffee cinnamon, apple...have revised my opinion from a lovely cake to a great cake!!...