baking apple cake

This weekend has been blowy and blustery but very nice. I have been crafting, knitting, visiting the library, doing the supermarket shop and baking and baking. We made 2 apple crumbles; one for me (using an Ayurveda recipe...but I'm sure I probably wasn't meant to eat it all in a single weekend...oh well) and one for everyone else.

We also baked this delicious apple cake a few days ago... Begin with some apples: scrumped, stolen, windfall or given are the best tasting this time of year.

Use child labour to do the chopping.

In all seriousness I can't recommend these choppers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tala-3051-Crinkle-Chip-Cutter/dp/B000TAVTV0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1316366206&sr=8-5) enough. They have no sharp edges but the way they are designed means that even Joa can chop raw apples and carrot. He really enjoys this; to have a chair pushed up to the work surface and having a real, grown-up job to do.

So here's the recipe. It's from Earthwise by carol Petrash

100g melted butter, marg or oil

200ml syrup or honey (we used honey)

1 tsp of vanilla

200g whole wheat flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1.5 tsp cinnamon

50-75g raisins

100g chopped nuts (I didn't have any nuts so we used mixed seeds instead)

4 medium apples chopped small

Preheat oven to 180C, lightly grease cake tin, cream wet ingredients, mix dry ingredients in another bowl. Combine both but don't over mix, add apples and raisins. Plop into tin and bake for about 45 mins (knife test).

Allow to cool ...

Put cut out picture of choice on top of your cake then shake icing sugar out of a sieve over the picture. Gently remove and serve to friends.

We shared this cake with my friend and her mother and we, as cake experts, would recommend this be eaten with custard or vanilla ice cream (I thought you went a bit far with the scooshy cream idea Amanda ;-) )

We tried to get out as much as we could as although it was windy it was still fairly nice.

Look at those tiny red wellies :-)

Benny's been working on ploughing this field...

Unfortunately it's right outside the back door so we had to stop him and move him elsewhere.
After he came in from this he started to feel a bit under the weather and has been ever since. I think it is the same thing that Joa had a few weeks ago. I hope it won't linger long, poor wee man.

Hope you had a good weekend and also ate your weight in apple related baking :-)