Apple and Cardamon Cake
Apple and Cardamon Cake
125g butter, softened + extra for greasing
20 cardamom pods, [or1½ tsp ground cinnamon]
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
130g plain flour, sifted
30g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tbsp. of the juice
3 eating apples, peeled [use a softer apple]
1 tbsp. Demerara sugar
Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 20cmround, deep cake tin. Break open the cardamom pods, extract the seeds and grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar, set aside. Using a food mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and juice, and 1/2 of the ground cardamom [or cinnamon], until fully combined. The mixture will be quite stiff. Transfer to the lined tin and level out. Quarter the apples and slice away the cores. Put cored side down on a board and make thin parallel cuts into each piece, without cutting all the way through, so they remain intact, [like hassel back potatoes]. Position the apple quarters on top of the cake [cut to size if required] Stir together the demerara sugar and the remaining cardamom [or cinnamon] and sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake for 55mins – 1hour 5 mins until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check after 45 mins if browning too quickly, cover with foil. Leave to cool for about 10 mins and lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with a spoonful of extra thick double cream.