EGYPTIAN APPLE CAKE

I was flicking through some cookbooks and came across this recipe, i liked the addition of olive oil instead of butter as it not only adds a wonderful flavour, but its also great to have recipes without dairy. This cake is best made in two tins and you will find the mixture is quite runny, almost of a batter consistency. I also like to utilise and celebrate our vast array of apples we have in abundance down here in the far south.  I have mentioned a few varieties which i think cook up well and have a wonderful flavour when cooked.  However this is where you decide what varieties you like or more to the point what you have on hand.

This cake will be more dense than you are probably use too, i particularly like to serve this cake warm (and a little cream never goes astray). To store wrap in plastic wrap and it will keep for 2 days (if it lasts that long!).

SPICED EGYPTIAN APPLE CAKE

Makes 2 x 25 cm round cake tins

280g plain flour

½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
100ml virgin olive oil
150g unrefined caster sugar
 vanilla pod, seeds only
4 free rang eggs
4 granny smith, braeburn or fuji apples, peeled and cut in 1cm dice
1 unwaxed lemon, zest only
30ml milk
2 free range egg whites

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C, grease 2 x 25cm cake tins and lightly dust with flour.

Weigh the sugar, vanilla seeds and oil into a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whisk the sugar and oil till light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisk until creamy and pale in colour.

Sift all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Fold half of the dry ingredients gently into the egg mixture with a metal spoon. Add the milk and fold the rest of the flour in. Do not over work the batter.
Fold in the diced apples and lemon zest.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold the egg whites into the cake batter.

Divide the cake mixture between the two cake moulds. This will give you two fairly shallow cakes, if you like a higher cake only use one cake tin.

Place the cake tins in the preheated oven on the middle shelf and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the moulds for 10 minutes, turn them out on to a cooling rack and let the cakes cool completely.

Dust heavily with icing sugar and glaze the cake either under the grill or using a blowtorch.
Serve slightly warm.
Makes 2 shallow 25cm cakes