A Spoonful of Sugar

I've made no secret of the fact that preparing apples is the kitchen task I loathe the most; however, this recipe makes the dreaded task completely worthwhile.

Spiced layers of tender apple chunks stud the sweet and slightly aromatic crumb of this cake in distinct layers. The crumb is very fragrant and has a subtle apple flavour with a very slight hint of orange. I made a few changes to the original recipe (which comes from Epicurious), which I think have significantly improved it; using nutmeg as well as cinnamon really enhances the spice flavour and ensures that it survives the baking process. When I made the cake previously, despite the cinnamon being tossed with the apples and therefore being protected from the ravages of the oven, most of the flavour and aroma was lost. Nutmeg is a more robust spice and also a fantastic partner to apples and cinnamon.

Also the addition of reduced apple schnapps made a huge difference to the taste of the actual crumb, lifting it and bringing the apple flavour through the entire cake. I felt that using this in place of the orange juice called for in the original recipe, would intensify the apple flavour rather than potentially masking it. I did, however, leave in the orange zest as I thought that this would add to the aroma of the cake and not disrupt the flavour. I think it worked very well. If you want to have a more intense apple flavour, then you can brush the top crust liberally with apple schnapps as soon as it comes out of the oven. The hot cake will eagerly gulp it down.

For those of you who are reeling in shock at the amount of sugar - don't worry. You can cut the sugar by 1/2 cup, which will produce a less-sweet cake which actually makes a great breakfast with some Greek yogurt on the side. The top crust won't be as gloriously thick and chewy as the original recipe would have produced, but it will still taste great.

I paired the cake (in the picture above) with Maple Cream which is a fantastic combination. Simply whip a small pot of double cream with a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup until thickened, taste and add more syrup if necessary, whip until stiff. Mmmm. Wonderful stuff.