MINing of Life

Friday, 26 March 2010

Apple CakeY

I found this recipe on the Internet and it says "fail-proof", so I thought it was worth giving a try; I mean, even if it really fails, it won't be an absolute failure.

What I loved about making it was that I didn't have to those bombastic electrical appliances which can be extremely noisy and a chore to wash. All I needed for the mixing were a spatula and a mixing bowl =]
As for measurements, it was so hassle-free because I didn't need weighing scale and measuring beaker, just a measuring cup, tablespoon and teaspoon!

So here's my suggested, improved recipe:
after following exactly to the original)
.........................................................................APPLE CAKE

Ingredients:
•2-3 tart apples, cored and peeled
•2 tablespoons sugar
•2 tablespoons cinnamon powder
•2 cups flour
•1 3/4 cups white sugar or 1 3/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
•4 teaspoons baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•4 large eggs
•1 cup vegetable oil
•2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
•Powdered sugar, for dusting; or toasted slivered almonds

Let's start baking:

Preheat your oven to 160ºC and lightly butter a cake pan.

Chop your apples into uniform chunks and toss, in a bowl, with the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients and stir.
Stir in the eggs and the oil.
Stir in the vanilla.

Either gently fold the apples into the batter and pour everything into the cake pan, or pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared cake pan, then 1/2 the apples, 1/3 of the batter, the last 1/2 of the apples, and top with the remaining 1/3 of batter. There should be quite a bit of extra room at the top of the pan; trust me, you’ll need it.

Bake at 160ºc for 80 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool, in the pan, to room temp, then invert onto a plate and flip back over.
..................................................................................

Here's the original recipe.
I added raisins. You can try having smashed nuts to give your cake a little crunch.

My cake turned out slightly charred at the edges and not desirably cooked in the centre, otherwise, it's perfectly tasty on its own and that's the reason why I didn't include the toppings and glazing. A sweet treat indeed, so I suggest, if you're going to follow the original recipe, don't eat the cake with hot chocolate, hot vanilla or anything that is already sweet on its own.

Something I learnt is that for cooking and baking, never ever use Fuji apples. Fuji apples are very juicy, rich in water level, hence by the time your dish is done, the apples will be dry and the texture will not be as good as that of Tart apples. Tart apples are small, round and waxy on the surface. They are not as juicy and crunchy as Fuji, but ideal for cooking and baking. I don't know how to explain... let's imagine you're eating McDonald's Apple Pie... it's a little crunchier and juicier than that!

I feel like having another bite of the cake =] Bye!

Next week will be some cheesecake =]

2:44 pm;

. . . . .