Autumn Apple Cake with a Toffee Glaze

 

I am really excited to share this lovely cake recipe with you today.  It is totally delicious and incredibly impressive to look at. Its from a recipe clipping that I had in my big blue binder and I think it is a recipe that I got in the U.K.  as the measurements were all  in metric.

I can't tell you which magazine I got it from however.  I wish that I could. I know it would have been from at least 4 years ago now, and it wasn't Delicious or BBC Good Food.  I know that for sure.  I hope you will forgive me for being so poor in my sourcing of the recipe! And if any of you knows which magazine I got it from, please let me know so that I can credit it accordingly!

 

What you have here is a delicious apple cake, that is moist and filled with plenty of grated apples.  Grated apples, zucchini, squash, etc. all will give you a really moist and dense cake. 

What really sets this cake off however is that beautiful toffee glaze which gets spooned over the finished and cooled cake.  Just like the glaze that you might spoon over a sticky toffee pudding. And we all know how gorgeous that dessert is.

 

But that is not all that sets this delicious cake apart.  It is the candied apple crisps that decorate the top that really set it off and apart as being something special. 

These are not at all difficult to make.  But I do recommend that you make them the day before you want to make and serve the cake.  That way you can get them out of the way and have them ready to pop right on the top.

 

You will need a couple of nicely sized eating apples to make them.  I like red ones, but any apple which is sweet and that you enjoy eating out of hand will do.

One Pink Lady apple does the job wonderfully.  You will need to wash it really well to get any wax or pesticides off and then cut it into 1/4 inch thick slices crosswise.

These get laid out on some parchment paper on a baking sheet and then brushed with a mix of lemon juice (to help them keep their color) and honey (to sweeten and get them all crispy sweet).

You then bake them in a moderate oven )350*F/180*) for half an hour, turning them and brushing them periodically with the lemon/honey mixture.  At that point they should be lovely and crisp.

You can even make more than you need to have for the cake as they make a lovely snack!  They keep very well stored in an airtight container. You can pay a premium price for these in the  shops!  

 

You do need a nice deep tin, 8-inches in diameter to bake the cake in. I use the cake tin that I always bake my Christmas Cakes in.  It is about 4 inches deep.

You can butter it and dust it with flour, or you can butter it and line it with baking parchment. Its your choice. I usually line my tins.  It is very easily done.

HOW TO LINE A CAKE TIN

1.  Cut out a long strip of baking parchment paper that is as deep as the tin and as long as the circumference of the tin, plus 2 inches.  Fold over one long edge by 1/2 inch and then make cuts into the fold over at 1/2 inch intervals.

2.  Cut another piece of baking parchment sized to fit in the bottom of the baking tin. I usually use the baking tin as a pattern and draw around it on the paper with a pencil, cutting out the resulting circle.

3.  Butter your tin really well.  Place the long strip of baking parchment into the tin, cut and folded edge down. The cuts will make it so that the paper fits around the edge of your tin perfectly without creasing.  The butter will hold it in place. Because you have cut it 2 inches longer than needed, it will overlap enough to keep all of the batter contained.

4.  Place the round of baking parchment on top of the cut edges of the paper in the bottom of the tin. This will protect the bottom and keep the paper around the edges in place as well.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AUTUMN APPLE CAKE WITH A TOFFEE GLAZE

Some very simple every day ingredients as seen above.  (This is exclusive of the apple crisps.)

For the Apple Cake:

• ½ cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened (plus extra to butter the tin)
• 2 ¼ cups (315g) self-rising flour (See notes)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp each ground cloves and ground allspice
• 1 cup (200g) dark soft brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp golden syrup (can use corn syrup or maple syrup)
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ pound (226.7g) coarsely grated pink lady apples, skin on
• ½ cup (120ml) apple juice

For the Toffee Glaze:

• 3 ½ fluid ounces (100ml) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (80g) soft dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 TBS golden syrup (can use corn syrup)

 

I just used two pink lady apples which were a fairly good size.  These were grated on the large holes of a box grater.  Don't worry about them starting to brown a bit as they will be cooked right into the cake. You can peel them if you want, but its not really necessary.

I know golden syrup can be somewhat difficult to find, but you can use light corn syrup, or even maple syrup in its place.  I think you could also use agave syrup.

If you don't have any self rising flour, I tell you on the recipe how to make your own. It is really very easy to do.

 I found a handy chart on substituting different sizes of eggs in recipes here. You may want to bookmark this.

• one large egg = any other sized egg will work 
• two large eggs = three small, two medium, two extra-large, or two jumbo eggs 
• three large eggs = four small, three medium, three extra-large eggs, or two jumbo eggs 
• four large eggs = five small, five medium, four extra-large, or three jumbo eggs 
• five large eggs = seven small, six medium, five extra-large eggs, or five jumbo eggs

 

HOW TO MAKE AUTUMN APPLE CAKE WITH A TOFFEE GLAZE

The cake is very easy to make as is the toffee glaze.   You can leave off the toffee glaze if you wish and just frost it with a buttercream or a penuche frosting, but I really recommend making the glaze if you can! 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter one deep 8-inch round cake tin and dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Set aside. Alternately you can butter the tin and line it with baking parchment.

Using an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in the golden syrup and the eggs, one at a time. (The mixture might look curdled, but that's fine.)

Sift the flour, soda and spices together. Whisk into the creamed mixture. Stir in the apple juice and the grated apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes or until nicely risen, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The top should also spring back when lightly touched.

Place the tin on a wire rack and then leave in the tin to cool completely, before tipping out onto a serving plate. Peel the paper off and discard.

 

Put all the ingredients for the toffee glaze into a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until everything has melted together and is completely amalgamated.

Increase the heat slightly and simmer until the mixture has nicely thickened, giving it an occasional stir. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't catch.

Remove from the heat and place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top to help prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Leave to cool completely.

Spoon the glaze over the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides, and then decorate with the apple crisps. cut into wedges to serve.

 

This really is a delicious cake, with a beautiful moist and tender crumb.  That glaze is sweet and finger licking good.  The apple crisps really decorate the whole thing beautifully.

If you are wanting a cake that is delicious and impressive, this is the cake to bake!  You really will not regret it. Trust me! 

Some other apple cake recipes in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

APPLE AND GINGER CAKE - This delicious cake is a bit unusual in that it bakes in the bread machine.  Handy to do if you don't have an oven! This is a somewhat sturdy cake, meant to be enjoyed with a hot cup of tea.  It is nicely spiced and speckled throughout with lovely bits of preserved ginger. This is a moreish cake that will be enjoyed by all.

WARM APPLE PUDDING CAKE - Moist and delicious with a warm calvados sauce to spoon over top.  Serve warm or at room temperature.   Store any leftover in the refrigerator. 

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Autumn Apple Cake with a Toffee Glaze

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 55 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

A delicious moist apple cake with lovely flavors and a moreish toffee glaze. The optional apple crisps make a unique and very pretty garnish.

Ingredients

For the Apple Crisps:

• 1 pink lady apple, very thinly sliced
• Lemon juice
• Liquid honey

For the Apple Cake:

• ½ cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened (plus extra to butter the tin)
• 2 ¼ cups (315g) self-rising flour (See notes)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp each ground cloves and ground allspice
• 1 cup (200g) dark soft brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp golden syrup (can use corn syrup or maple syrup)
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ pound (226.7g) coarsely grated pink lady apple, skin on
• ½ cup (120ml) apple juice

For the Toffee Glaze:

• 3 ½ fluid ounces (100ml) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (80g) soft dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 TBS golden syrup (can use corn syrup)

Instructions

To make the optional apple crisps:

1. Make the apple decorations the day before you want to make the cake.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
4. Place the apple slices on the baking sheet, brushing each one with some lemon juice and a bit of honey. (The lemon juice helps to them to keep their color.)
5. Bake for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through the bake time. At the end of that time they should be crisp and light golden.
6. Scoop off onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container until you need them.

To make the cake and glaze

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter one deep 8-inch round cake tin and dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Set aside. Alternately you can butter the tin and line it with baking parchment.
2. Using an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in the golden syrup and the eggs, one at a time. (The mixture might look curdled, but that's fine.)
3. Sift the flour, soda and spices together. Whisk into the creamed mixture. Stir in the apple juice and the grated apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes or until nicely risen, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The top should also spring back when lightly touched.
5. Place the tin on a wire rack and then leave in the tin to cool completely, before tipping out onto a serving plate. Peel the paper off and discard.
6. Put all the ingredients for the toffee glaze into a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until everything has melted together and is completely amalgamated.
7. Increase the heat slightly and simmer until the mixture has nicely thickened, giving it an occasional stir. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't catch.
8. Remove from the heat and place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top to help prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Leave to cool completely.
9. Spoon the glaze over the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides, and then decorate with the apple crisps. cut into wedges to serve.

Notes

You can easily make your own self-rising flour. For each cup of flour (140g) add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. Whisk together well. I make this up 3 or 4 cups at a time. It always gets used up.

Did you make this recipe?

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