While many bloggers are fizzing with excitement at the prospect of stomping through fallen leaves and drinking pumpkin spice lattes, I am less enamoured with the sudden onset of autumn.
Summer felt particularly fleeting this year and I just don’t think I’m ready for 6-9 months of cold weather, dark mornings and depressingly grey skies. Sure, we might get the odd sunny day in September, but we all know it’s downhill to winter from here.
Thankfully, the changing of the seasons does mean good things are happening in my kitchen. I love autumn fare and many of the ingredients associated with this time of year are among my favourites, both to cook and to eat. The significant drop in temperature means hearty stews, steaming hot pies and comforting bakes are definitely the order of the day.
This apple cake was very loosely inspired by a recipe from A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones. It’s beautifully moist and delicately spiced. The maple frosting provides a satisfyingly sweet kick. I’m tempted to top it with some chopped nuts next time too. Pecans would be my preference.
You will need:
{For the cake}
- 250g Self-Raising Flour
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp ground ginger
- a pinch of allspice
- 1tbsp maple syrup
- 150g dark brown Muscovado sugar
- 2 eggs
- 150ml olive oil
- 3 apples, peeled, cored and grated
{For the frosting}
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3tbsp maple syrup
- 200g icing sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 200c/400F/Gas Mark 6. Grease and line a 450g loaf tin.
2. Sift the flour and spices into a bowl. In another, mix the sugar, maple syrup, olive oil and eggs until you have a deep, dark even mixture.
3. Pour this into the flour and beat until evenly combined. The mixture should be fairly stiff and thick.
4. Add the grated apple and give everything a final mix.
5. Pour into your prepared cake tin and smooth the surface of the batter with the back of a spoon. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. If it looks like the top is browning too quickly while baking, cover loosely with foil.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To make the maple frosting, sift the icing sugar and beat together with the butter and maple syrup until light and fluffy. Spread the icing thickly over the cake, cut a slice and enjoy!
What will you be baking this autumn? If you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag me on twitter or instagram so I can see your creations!
Love Audrey xxx
P.S. Blackberry Muffins and Plum and Pecan Crumble are also perfect at this time of year.
1. Finally, some Franky weathe
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Ooh that looks good! Did you use cooking apples or eating apples?
Oops I should have said! Eating. I had some lovely Pink Lady apples in my veg box delivery and they worked really well.
xxx
This looks so good! Definitely making this soon
You know it’s quite the opposite here in Pakistan, summer lasts so long and it’s brutally hot and humid, so 2-3 months of winter is very welcome… I know what you mean about sunshine though, during monsoon season it rained for weeks and I was desperate for a sunny day!
Oh I can only imagine how welcome cooler weather would be after that heat! It’s the short days and dark mornings that really get to me. Definitely try the cake, whatever the seasons are doing! xxx
This looks amazing; I will definitely give it a go. I love apple cake and usually use a Dorset Apple Cake recipe from Delicious Magazine.
The Anna Jones book has been on my list for a while…would reccommend it?
Xx
I’m actually looking for a Dorset Apple Cake recipe at the moment! I ordered some in a little tea room while we were on holiday in July and it was delicious! This is good too though, definitely give it a try!
I don’t have the Anna Jones book…. yet! I’ve been reading recipes online/in magazines {hence the inspiration} and I’m impressed. My only reservation is that I really hate buying specialist ingredients {fancy flours etc}, so I’m still trying to figure out what sort of balance there is in the book as a whole. Her new one {A Modern Way to Cook} is pretty cheap on Amazon at the moment, so I may end up getting that one first!
xxx
That looks delicious. I will have to try it once autumn arrives here. I am on the east coast of the US and it is supposed to be 91 degrees today. I am not sure what that is in celsius, but trust me, it is miserably hot. I always enjoy your recipes because they are so attainable. I don’t feel like I have to go shopping for a list of unusual ingredients before I can attempt them. Plus, they look so pretty!