Michele Cranston

Apple crumble cake

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Preparation info

  • Serves

    12

    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in

A Simple Table

A Simple Table

By Michele Cranston

Published 2016

  • About

When it comes to cakes, I like mine gutsy and real. I can easily walk past a fine patisserie display of creamy layers, teetering chocolate or millefeuille madness, but show me a cake bursting with summer fruits, ground nuts or trails of messy brown sugar and the concept of ‘no’ escapes me. This is one of those cakes that I will always fall victim to. Packed with spicy apples and topped with a sweet brown sugar crumble, it’s a winner in my book.

Ingredients

Crumble Topping

  • 50 g (1¾ oz/½ cup) quick-cook rolled (porridge) oats
  • 45 g (1½ oz/½ cup) desiccated coconut
  • 60 g (2¼ oz/¼ cup, firmly packed) light brown sugar
  • 50 g (1¾ oz) unsalted butter, melted

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Lightly grease a 24 cm (9½ inch) spring-form cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper.

To make the crumble topping, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat for a further 3 minutes, or until creamy. Fold in the sifted flour, cinnamon, cardamom and baking powder and then stir in the almond meal.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites in a clean, small bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg white into the cake batter in two batches. Fold the chopped apple through the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top.

Cover the top of the cake with a piece of foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a serving plate to cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.