As a child, our mother spent her summers in their huge garden with an old apple orchard. In autumn, when the apples were harvested, everyone had to help, and they were made into apple sauce or apple juice. Money was tight in the late 1950s and early 1960s and nothing went to waste. The children participated unwillingly, much preferring to use the apples to throw at each other when playing in the orchard with neighbourhood friends, making sure their parents would not witness this wasteful behaviour. Our grandmother, Eva, whom I am named after, also made a version of this apple cake. Unfortunately, we don’t have her original recipe, but Mum says this is pretty close. – Eva
Preheat
the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Grease and flour a 23 cm round springform cake
tin and shake out the excess flour.
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl for about 5 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Once combined, add the spices and beat thoroughly for a few minutes.
Sift
in the flour and add the ground almonds, then beat until combined. The batter
should be quite firm. However, if it is too stiff, you may need to add a few
tablespoons of milk to loosen it. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared
tin.
Peel
the apples, cut them in half and remove the cores. With their flat-side down,
cut slits a few millimetres apart into each half, stopping just shy of the
centre. Take care not to cut right through.
Place
the apple halves, slit-side up, in a circle around the edge of the cake, with
one in the middle, and gently press them 5 mm into the batter. Brush the apple
with some of the melted butter and bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove
the cake from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter, then bake
for a further 10–15 minutes, until golden brown. Insert a wooden skewer into
the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. If it
comes out sticky, cook for a further 5 minutes, then test again.
Cool
in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. When the cake is cold,
shake the icing sugar over it with a sieve.
The
cake is best served with ice cream, cream or custard. It will keep for 1 week
in an airtight container stored in a cool place.
Recipe Note
Cook's notes: To make this gluten free, replace the flour with buckwheat flour and add 2–3 tsp gluten-free baking powder.
