Friday 18 September 2015

Polish Apple Cake.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's apple season!

And today, at our house, it's been a day filled with apples.
There's apple-scented candles burning, an apple pie bake session and this Polish apple cake to share with all of you.


The cake was baked back in May and was requested by my Mother. I didn't think I would like it. I mean, an apple cake? Doesn't really sound all that. 

But then I tried it. Wow. It was light and fresh because of all the apples in the sponge. A wonderful change from the usual. 

It's a butter-free cake (super healthy, am I right?) packed with apples and covered with whipped cream and grated chocolate. Well, it is a treat after all. I hope it helps get you through your apple glut this year.

Apple Cake, previously: apple and cinnamon cakenusskuchen.

A Simple List of Ingredients:
For the Apple Cake:
1. Caster Sugar
2. Eggs
3. Plain Flour
4. Bicarbonate of Soda
5. Baking Powder
6. Sunflower/Vegetable Oil
7. Apples

For the Topping:
1. Double Cream
2. Icing Sugar
3. Milk Chocolate

Bismillah, let's begin!

First, let's bake the apple cake. Pre-heat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square cake tin.

We'll use the apples later on but prepping them is the "hardest" part of this cake so let's get it out of the way now. Take 500 grams (for me, it was 4) Apples. An eating apple like Cox's is best for this recipe but use whatever you have in the house.

Peel them, core them and cut into 2cm chunks. Set aside for later.

Let's make the sponge! We'll begin with sugar.

Into a large bowl, goes 125 grams Caster Sugar.

Along with 2 large Eggs.

In they go.

Once they're in ...

... take an electric whisk or pop on the whisk attachment.

Whisk away until ....

.. the mixture becomes pale and frothy.

Next, for the dry ingredients. Into a separate bowl, sift in 175 grams Plain Flour.

Next, to make the cake rise ...

... sift in:
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

Give the dry ingredients a stir.

Then, measure out 100ml Sunflower or Vegetable Oil.

Now, we 're going to add the dry ingredients and the oil in batches to the eggs. So, add in a little of the flour mixture.

Whisk or stir it in.

Like so.

Then, pour in a little oil.

Whisk.

Keep going like this - I did three or four batches.

Until all the flour and oil have finished.

And, you have a smooth batter on your hands.

This is an apple cake.

So, in go the chopped apples that we prepped earlier.

Stir in the apples until well combined.

Then, scrape the batter out of the bowl ..

.. and into the prepared tin.

Smooth out the top and bake at 180C / Gas Mark 4 for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Like this!

Leave the cake to cool completely before covering with the topping.

Speaking of the topping, let's make it!

Pour 300ml Double Cream into a bowl.

Add in 2 tablespoons Icing Sugar.

Using an electric whisk or hand whisk,

whisk the cream until ....

... you get soft peaks. You can flavour the cream with a little vanilla or orange zest, if you like.

Once the cake is completely cold, take it out of the tin and peel off the paper.

Place it onto a cake stand or plate.

And it's time to decorate.

With cream!

Pile the cream onto the cake.

Spread it onto the top and sides of the cake.

Then, it's time for the chocolate!

25 grams Milk Chocolate, to be precise. I peeled mine from the block with a vegetable peeler.

Sprinkle them on top and we're done! You can place the cake into the fridge for 2-3 hours to let it set.



Or dig in straight away!

Full Written Recipe:


Polish Apple Cake.

Prep Time: About 15 minutes.
Bake Time: About 45 minutes.
Serves: Cuts into 9 large squares.

Ingredients

For the Apple Cake
125 grams Caster Sugar
2 large Eggs
175 grams Plain Flour
½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
100ml Sunflower/Vegetable Oil
500 grams (I used 4) Apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm chunks

For the Topping
300ml Double Cream
2 tablespoons Icing Sugar
25 grams Milk Chocolate, grated

Method

To bake the apple cake, pre-heat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square cake tin.
Place the eggs and caster sugar into a bowl. Whisk with an electric whisk until pale and frothy.
In a separate bowl, sift in the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Add this dry mixture to the eggs in three or four batches, alternating with the vegetable oil, stirring in as you go.
Once you have a smooth batter, add in the chopped apples. Stir by hand until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Once baked, let it cool completely.

To make the topping, place the double cream and icing sugar into a large bowl. Whisk with an electric whisk until the cream forms soft peaks.

To assemble the cake, remove the cold cake from the tin. Place it onto a cake stand or plate. Cover the top and sides with the whipped cream. Sprinkle over the grated milk chocolate. Slice and serve! Or, if you want the cream to set, place in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

{Heavily Adapted from The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook}

This Time One Year Ago:

This Time Two Years Ago:

Keep me in your duas, please, and enjoy your apple cake,

Wasalaam!


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