APPLE CAKE WITH MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Treat yourself with these delicious sweet and savoury recipes from SASKO

INGREDIENTS

• 4 apples (Bramley, Golden Delicous or Red Cripps), cored, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
• 280g Sasko All Purpose Flour
• ½t cinnamon
• ¼t salt
• ½t baking powder
• 1 ¼t baking soda
• 120ml sunflower oil (or olive oil)
• 160g castor sugar
• 1t vanilla extract
• 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 free-range egg whites
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Icing sugar for dusting, 20g chopped walnuts (optional – for decorating)

For the maple frosting:

• 100g butter, at room temperature
• 100g muscovado sugar
• 85ml maple syrup
• 250g cream cheese, at room temperature

YOU MIGHT LIKE: OPEN PLUM AND APPLE TART WITH GINGERY SYRUP

METHOD

1. Pre heat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a 20-23 cm spring form pan (bottom and sides) with baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer beat the oil, sugar and vanilla extract together, and then add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring they are well incorporated before adding the next one.
3. Sift together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
4. By hand, add the apples and lemon zest and fold this through the wet mixture.
5. Mix the egg whites using an electric mixer until they form firm peaks. Gently fold these by hand through the cake batter, trying not to knock all the air out.
6. Fill the baking tin and bake for 1 ¼ – 1 ½ hours until the cake is done.
7. Cool in the tin.
8. Once cool start to make the frosting.
9. Beat the butter, muscavado sugar and maple syrup together until it is light and fluffy.
10. Add the cream cheese and beat until the frosting is totally smooth.
11. Slice the cake in half horizontally and spread a third of the frosting over the bottom layer.
12. Place the top layer on and ice the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
13. Dust with icing sugar (optional) or decorate with chopped walnuts.

*If your cake top is turning too dark during the baking, loosely cover with foil about half way through.