Okay so I finally started a blog and decided on a theme – now my dilemma was which cookbook got to open the show!
Thanks for all your suggestions and I will get round to them all I promise – even to Hugh (eventually….) !
The problem was solved by the amount of apples in my kitchen demanding to be used (thank you to all my wonderful neighbours). I decided to stew and freeze some of them and then remembered a recipe for a ‘sauce’ cake. Cue Sophie Grigson’s Country Kitchen
This book was a Christmas present from my sister after my time in Ballymaloe Cookery School and her inscription ‘to the petite chef with the big ideas’ still makes me smile! The splashed pages and the handwritten notes will convince you that this is one of the workers in my collection – I love the Rhubarb & Honey Compote, and her sweet & sour red cabbage is a Christmas must.
In the introduction the book is described as ‘a record of a year’s cooking in a country kitchen – but with a modern twist’ . This is borne out in recipes such as ‘pot-roast pork with star anise, ginger. tamarind and port’ or ‘cauliflower with sundried tomatoes, garlic and capers’ .
The book is laid out by season with beautiful photographs and informative notes on ingredients. The recipes are well laid out and easy to follow and most importantly they work! My biggest peeve is that it doesn’t have a photograph for every dish – I like to know what I’m aspiring to!
My favourite and most used from this book is Sophie’s recipe for ‘Gooseberry Sauce Cake’ – simple and quick and adaptable for most fruits. I’ve tried it with gooseberries, rhubarb, plums and most recently with apples and the result is a lovely moist cake everytime!
So if like me you’re overrun with apples you should give this a try:
Apple Sauce Cake
What you need:
- 10oz/280g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 40z/110g caster sugar
- 40z/110g demerara sugar
- 4oz/110g butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 pt/300ml stewed apples
All set!
- Firstly stew your fruit – I used a mix of sweet and cooking apples as I like the difference in texture. Peel, core and chop the fruit. Then stew with a little water over a low heat for 20-30 mins. I didn’t use any particular quantities as I froze the rest of the fruit in 1/2 pint portions for future cakes!
- When fruit is stewed to your liking measure out 1/2 pt for your cake (btw apologies for any confusion and if I appear old fashioned but I tend to bake in imperial and cook in metric!)
Mix all your dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and sugars together
Fold in the lightly beaten eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Finally stir in the stewed apples.
Pour mixture into a lined 9″/23cm springform tin and sprinkle a little extra demerara sugar over the top.- Sophie’s instructions are to bake the cake at 180C/Gas 4 for 45 minutes. Having tried it on several occasions it takes 30-35 minutes in my oven at 170C Fan so I’d advise you to check it after 30 mins!
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10-15 mins before turning out. Then there’s nothing left to do but serve it with some lightly whipped cream!
Hey Pesto! 
What a surprise you chose a sweet recipe to do! This recipe looks and sounds really good for the time of year, or indeed, anytime. I like the fact that you can serve it on its own, or as a dessert. Lovely clear pics too.
Thanks Colette! Sometimes I need a little sweetness!!!
That looks lovely. I have an ancient Kenwood and the glass bowl fell 2 weeks ago and smashed into a zillion pieces so am mixer-less at the moment so delighted to see a cake recipe that I can ‘mix by hand’ 🙂
So sorry to hear about your mixer 😦 I’d be lost without mine!
Hope you enjoy the cake!
Looks gorgeous!! Am with you on the pic thing, neven tends to be like that as well!!!
Thanks Paula! I’m much more likely to try a recipe if it has a picture. Neven’s earlier books were much better – pic for every recipe, may be tat’s why I keep going back to them!
Looks good! Am just about to make a very similar cake in my quest to use up all the apples I have! My recipe also includes sultanas!
hmmmmm interesting…… I was thinking about including some blackberries…..
I’ve always said that splashes on a cookbook are a great indication that it’s a good book – at least you can tell it’s been used!
Cake looks gorgeous, definitely my kind of thing. One for the (massive) to-do list!
my challenge is to use some of the ‘splash-less’ books on my shelves!
This is an excellent recipe Yvonne. We have a lot of apples laying around here too and I need to get busy making all things apple like apple sauce, apple pie, apple butter, apple cake! Keep the blog posts coming!
Thanks Mona. I have lots more of them to use up – going to try Joanna’s apple butter next I hope!
Looks like a lovely simple cake, but one that will satisfy. I’m really tempted to make this later today, but I think that I’ll add a little cinnamon to the demerera sugar on top.
mmmmm……I love cinnamon! Let me know how it works Joanne!
Have been looking for an apple cake recipe for a while this sounds and looks lovely, lots of apples about so will deff try it
Catherine it really is lovely – must make some more today !
Hi Yvonne, I love your new blog and have nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award in my latest post; http://www.carolinesfeeds.wordpress.com It’s a fun way of welcoming folk into the blogosphere! x
All the best,
Caroline
Hi Caroline
Thank you very much! 🙂
Trying hard to get my next post together…..but work keeps getting in the way!
I love the addition of the cinnamon topping!
This is my favourite recipe from Sophie’s book too! Making it today with pears…
Hi Yvonne baked this this evening, it went down a treat delicious.
isn’t it a lovely cake Theresa? 🙂