Homemade Applesauce Cake

Last winter, I had been playing with Bramley apples for a few months – baked a pie, tarte tatin, toffee pudding etc. with Bramely every weekend – as I always do once really into something (e.g. beetroot, fennel). I was sure to miss the apples while not in season, so I made some applesauce and bottled before the season had gone.

 

Homemade Bramley Applesauce

 

Okay, it’s time to open the jar!!  and baked a cake with the sauce.

 

 

Ingredients

(for 18 cm ring cake tin)

For the applesauce 

1.8 kg Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
300 g light soft brown sugar or golden caster sugar (I used Sanonto Sugar)
100 ml water

For the cake
90 g butter, softened at room temperature
100 g caster sugar
1 egg, whisked

190 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
160 g applesauce
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
20 g dried cranberries
30 g pecan nuts, lightly toasted and chopped

To decorate
50 g icing sugar
1½ – 2 tsp water (to adjust)

 

Method

Applesauce

1. Put all the ingredients in a pot on low heat. Cook gently for 60 – 90 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick sauce-like consistency. Cool completely.

Applesauce Cake

1. Soak the cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze well to remove excess water. Chop finely and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 180° C. Into a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder.
3. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg a quarter at a time, beating well after each addition, then spoon in the vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined, then gently stir in the applesauce, cranberries and pecans until evenly combined.
5. Spoon into a tin and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a skewer poked in comes out clean.
6. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a rack, top side up, and cool. When almost cooled, wrap in cling film and store overnight for better flavour and texture. 
7. To make the icing, stir 1.5 – 2 tsp water into the icing sugar and mix well. Drizzle or pipe the icing over the cake.