Recipe: Apple and Almond Cake
We are coming to the end of orchard fruit season enjoying the last of the apples and pears stored over Winter. I had a few past their best apples in the larder and rather than wasting them I decided to turn them into a cake. This apple and almond cake has a rich almond sponge with chunks of apple and little pieces of marzipan running through it. I used leftover marzipan from Christmas but you can leave it out if you prefer. The cake is finished with more apple and flaked almonds that turn golden as it bakes.
Ingredients
For the cake
120g butter
120g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp milk
70g self raising flour
2 eggs
80g marzipan chopped
80g apple chopped
For the topping
30g marzipan grated
Half an apple thinly sliced
2 tbsp flaked almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and the milk then add the eggs one at a time alternating with the flour. Fold in the ground almonds the chopped apple and the marzipan.
Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 20cm tin. Top with the thinly sliced apple the grated marzipan and the flaked almonds. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until cooked through. Allow to cool a little before removing from the tin then leave to cool completely on a wire rack. It is delicious with a cup of tea or warm with custard.
A Seasonal Note
This cake belongs to Imbolc the Celtic season of gentle beginnings when the world is still Winter quiet but signs of new life are starting to appear. Apples and stored fruit are often the last of the cold season’s offerings and baking with them feels grounding and resourceful. Almonds add warmth and richness while the apple brings a soft fresh brightness a lovely reflection of Imbolc’s quiet shift toward light renewal and early growth
