Toffee Apple Cake

This deliciously Autumnal spiced toffee apple cake makes good use of standard store cupboard ingredients. And apples are readily available all year, so there no reason why you can't bake this cake and enjoy it whenever you like! The crispy toffee apple decoration doesn’t last long in the open air as, like all toffee, it attracts moisture and will start to dissolve after a few hours, so it’s best to add it just before serving. We don’t bother to peel the apple and nobody ever seems to notice!

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

For the cake:

200g salted butter, softened

2 tbs treacle

80g soft light brown sugar

80g soft dark brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

200g self-raising flour

4 medium size free-range eggs

200g cooking apple, chopped

 

 

For the icing:

250g salted butter, softened

300g icing sugar

1 tsb treacle

 

 

For the toffee apple decoration:

50g apple, chopped (approximately 5mm cubes)

3 tbs caster sugar

 

 

 

 

Equipment

Large mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Sharp knife

Chopping board

Measuring spoons

2 x 18cm (7 inch) diameter cake tins

Baking parchment

Kitchen scissors

Wire cooling rack

Small mixing bowl

Baking tray

Mini palette knife

Tala disposable piping bag fitted with large star nozzle

 

 

 

1. Cut two baking parchment circles big enough to cover the bases of both cake tins (18cm diameter, 7 inches).
2. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius fan (320 degrees Fahrenheit fan).
3. In the large mixing bowl, cream the butter with both kinds of sugar and treacle until fluffy.
4. Mix in the eggs, then add the flour and cinnamon.
5. Fold in the chopped apple.
6. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 30-40 minutes until risen and springy to touch.
7. Allow to rest in the tins for five minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

 

To make the icing:

 

8. While the cake is cooling, cream the butter and icing sugar together, add the treacle and mix again.

 

To make the toffee apple decoration:

 

9. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius fan (338 degrees Fahrenheit fan)
10. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
11. Mix the apple and caster sugar in the small bowl, then spread out on the baking tray trying to separate the pieces of apple as much as possible.
12. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the sugar is melted and golden.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the side.
14. When cool, break into pieces.

 

Assembling the cake:

 

15. Remove the baking parchment from the bottom of both cakes.
16. Spread a thick layer of icing on top of one cake and place the other cake on top.
17. Spread a thin layer of icing on top of the top cake and use a mini palette knife to make parallel lines across the top.
18. Transfer the rest of the icing to the piping bag and pipe a wiggly ‘s’ pattern all around the edge of the top cake.
19. Decorate the piped icing with pieces of toffee apple decoration and serve straight away.