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Fluffy, moist and light vanilla-brandy sponge bursting with fruity, fresh apple chunks!
Maybe it’s because it’s Summer, or maybe I’m kidding myself that I’m being a tad healthier, or MAYBE it’s just because my fiancé keeps ordering tonnes of fruit on our online shopping order that we could never possibly manage to actually eat, but over the past few weeks I’ve been really into baking with fresh fruit!
Recently I've had to find something to bake that would help us to use up our apple supply. I started with my gorgeous Apple-Cinnamon Scones, and today I made my new favourite fresh apple cake which I'm super excited to share with you, because it really is so tasty, and yet so simple to make!
Flavoured with vanilla and brandy, this is no standard apple cake! Its beautifully sweet with the perfect amount of tartness from the juicy chunks fresh green apples, and slightly fragrant with a hint of brandy which we all know pairs wonderfully with apple. I like to use green cooking apples or Granny Smiths as they have a firmer texture for baking and have the right amount of tartness to offset the sweetness of the cake.
The texture is beautifully moist, light and springy owing to the use of both butter and oil, and splash of sour cream, and the beating the sugar and butter for a good 3-4 minutes on high speed!
I made this cake recently for a group of volunteers helping out with a project at work and it went down like an absolute storm. It's crazy to think that such a simple cake, with no fancy decoration, frostings or fillings, could be such a hit! And that's the beauty of this cake; it's so sweetly simple, yet wonderfully tasty - it reminds me of the type of cakes your grandma would bake and give to you with a cup of tea when you visit!
If you like a little tipple in your sweet treats, try some of these delicious recipes!
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Or for some more fruity inspo, see my other fruity bakes!
FRESH APPLE AND BRANDY CAKE
Prep: 10 minutes
Baking: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 8 slices
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
85g unsalted butter, softened
22g flavourless oil
135g caster sugar + extra for sprinkling
2 medium eggs (Large eggs in USA)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp sour cream
3 Tbsp brandy
125g all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
170g green apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180C (160C fan) and grease and line an 8inch cake tin (this cake can also be made in an 7inch tin for a thicker cake as seen in the photos)
Make the batter: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter using a hand-held or stand mixer on high speed for a minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for a further 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Beat in oil, sour cream and vanilla until combined. Beat in the brandy (try not over mix here as it will curdle the batter - don't worry too much if this happens, it should not affect the final cake). On a low speed, or using a rubber spatula, mix in the flour in 2 stages until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Fold in chopped apple. The batter will be slightly thick.
Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Run a knife or skewer through the batter to disperse any large air bubbles and tap lightly on the counter a couple of times to bring smaller bubbles to the surface. Sprinkle the top of the batter will a generous amount of caster sugar; this will create a lovely sweet and delicate crust on top of the cake! Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for between 35-40 minutes.
Cool, Serve, Store: Once baked through and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the tin to finish cooling. This cake is wonderful served warm from the oven after about 15 minutes of cooling, and is great with ice cream. It is equally as lovely cooled to room temperature to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee! Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. Cake can be re-warmed in a microwave for 20 seconds.
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