Apple and Honey Cake

It is Rosh Hashanah in my world, or more precisely the Jewish world at the moment, which is the Jewish new year. It is customary to eat apple dipped in honey to symbolise a sweet new year so, in the spirit of apples, honey, and generally wanting to eat cake, I made an apple and honey cake.
I slightly changed an american recipe I found on the internet and it uses the cup as a measurement.

Ingredients:

3 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup honey
3 cups chopped apple, I used golden delicious
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
2 tsp cane sugar/brown sugar (which ever you have to hand for sprinkling)

Equipment:

8 inch cake tin (with high sides)
Food mixer/electric whisk/wooden spoon

First preheat your oven to 175°C/gas mark 4 and then prepare your cake tin by lining it. I used a silicon paper base and then lightly coated the sides in veg oil. Your tin should have highish sides because the baking soda makes it rise high in comparison to what you pour in the tin.

Next, put the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder into a large bowl and set aside.

Then into your food mixer or another bowl, put the sugar, honey, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.

Mix it gently for 30 seconds or so to allow the ingredients to combine. Then put one egg in at a time, and mix fully between each addition.

Pour the wet batter into the dry, gently mix and when done, fold in the chopped apple.

You can now pour the batter into the cake tin and sprinkle with the cane sugar.
Put the tin in the oven on the middle shelf for approximately an hour, mine took just over this time. When a cocktail stick comes out clean it is ready.
Once baked, leave on the side for 5 minutes to cool a little and then remove from the tin onto a cooling rack.

I found this cake to be really moist and scrumptious. It is a comforting sweet bit of goodness which is easy to make.

So, Happy New Year with a bit of cake. Or as I should say, Shanah Tovah!

Madeleines

Madeleine's. Ever since watching Rachel Khoo's cooking show I have wanted to bake them, and have at last got round to it. I have used her recipe however, I missed out the section on making my own lemon curd but feel free to make your own.
I am pleased to say it went well!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
130g caster sugar
200g plain flour
10g baking powder
20g honey
Zest of one lemon
60ml milk
200g melted and cooled butter
A small pack of raspberries
150g lemon curd

Equipment:

Madeleine tin
Piping bag

Makes 24

Firstly, beat the eggs and sugar together until it turns pale.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and lemon zest.

Then stir the honey and milk with the melted butter in another bowl, and pour into the egg. Give it a gentle mix till combined:

Next, fold the dry ingredients into the wet in two batches. It should like like this when done:

Cover the mixture and leave in the fridge for either a few hours or overnight. I used the batter after three hours which was long enough for it to firm up. I also did a smaller batch the following day to see if there was a difference and to be honest, I did not find one.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190°C. Then prepare your tin by coating a thin layer of butter and dust with flour.
Next, put a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into each shell and then push a raspberry into the batter. The batter does expand a lot so do not over fill.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes and then turn the oven off for one minute. Then, turn the oven back on to 160°C and bake again for 5 minutes. Once done, take out and transfer to a cooling rack.

When cool enough to handle pipe the lemon curd into the raspberry. Once finished dust with a little icing sugar and serve straight away.

Mr P and I really enjoyed these with a cup of tea. I found the recipe not too complicated and the result a delicate little sponge. They taste far better while still a little warm.