We simply love a good cup of coffee and a slice of cake at Piglet HQ. So much so, that our lovely staff just keep outdoing themselves by bringing in more and more delicious creations for tea break.
We have a couple of staffers that have a gluten allergy. I know, some people get put off by gluten-free bakes, complaining that they are rubbery or stodgy. This method, however, is lovely and moist thanks to the addition of ground almonds and delicious toffee apple chunks. Apple cake is always a crowd-pleaser and this is a perfect recipe to keep up your sleeve as it can be whipped up quickly and easily with just basic larder ingredients and apples. And if you have some apples left over, you can always double-desert (I swear it's a thing...) and whip up some delicious crumble too.
INGREDIENTS
for the caramelised apple chunks
400g apples (bramley or granny smith work nicely)
20g unsalted butter
100g stem ginger
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
for the cake
250g gluten free plain flour (I usually use Dove's Farm which has always worked well for this recipe)
220g ground almonds
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
90ml whole milk
METHOD
1. Start of by making the apple chunks. Peel, core and dice your apples. Chop your stem ginger and add them to a pan with the sugar, cinnamon and butter. Cook gently for about 3-5 minutes until the apples look gently caramelised. Ensure that the mixture is fully cooled before adding to the rest of the cake mix.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs in one at a time and mix well. Add a tablespoon of flower with the last egg to help the batter from curdling. Then add the vanilla extract.
5. Sprinkle another tablespoon of flour over the cooked apples. This will help the apple chunks to not sink to the bottom of the cake when cooked.
6. Add the remaining flour, ground almonds and salt to the wet mix and combine. Add the milk.
7. Transfer a third of the mix into a greased and lined cake tin, then sprinkle on a third of the apples. Follow with more batter and apples until you've used it all.
8. Bake for about 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Cool and enjoy with custard. Or cream. Or both.
This cake will keep nicely for about 5 days. It also freezes super well. Simply double wrap in plastic film. Then defrost when overnight before unwrapping. Yum!