Apple Sauce, Hazelnut and Raisin Cake

                                    Apple Sauce, Hazelnut & Raisin Cake 

I had a real bumper crop of Bramley Apples this year,  to me they are the perfect cooking apple making just the best pies and are great for apple sauce.

I sometimes peel & slice them, lay them on a parchment lined tray, sprinkle over some caster sugar a freeze.  When they're frozen bag them up ready to use as you will.  I also like to make chutneys and as I have used here ...just stewed unsweetened and frozen to use in so many different recipes.

This isn't the traditional Apple Sauce cake with no butter or eggs.....tried it a few times....so dry and bland.  If you're going to bake a cake why not make it worth your while and eat something delicious...not just make do with saving a few calories.  It's not for everyday....but once and a while a piece of cake is a real treat.  

Line a loose bottomed 9" tin with parchment

Ingredients:-

1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce from tart cooking apples (Bramleys)

8oz/ 250g butter

6oz/175g dark brown sugar

4oz/125g SR wholemeal flour

4oz/125g SR white flour

1tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of  salt 

2 tbsp oatbran

4oz/125g Raisins or Sultanas

4oz /125gskinned hazelnuts,  chop half of them and leave the remainder whole for decorating the top of the cake

2 eggs beaten

2 small eating apples, peeled, cored  and thinly sliced to top the cake

Demerara sugar to sprinkle over

you will need a piece of foil, doubled over to fit loosely over the top of the cake tin.

Set the oven to 160c 325f gas 3

Method,

This is made with the rubbing in method so

Place the sieved flours into a large mixing bowl with the salt, oatbran and the cinnamon.

Add the butter and rub in together

Add the raisins/sultanas, dark brown sugar, the chopped hazelnuts mix together

Add the beaten eggs and the apple sauce & lightly combine everything together

Pour into your prepared tin

Arrange the apple slices and remaining hazelnuts on the top of the cake

Sprinkle over around 1 tbsp demerera sugar.

Loosely place the foil over the cake tin and bake for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remove the foil turn the oven down to 140c/275f/gas 1 and bake for another 15 minutes.

Check that there's no middle wobble going on.....if not insert a metal skewer ...it should come out cleanish....this is a moist cake... remember

My cake took a total of 1 hour 35 minutes but as all ovens very it could vary 15 minutes each way.  Just keep your eye on it 

Leave in the tin but place on a cooling tray.

I left mine for several hours before removing this moist cake from it's tin and I removed the parchment just before serving.

Store in the bottom of the fridge....it should keep for several days,  it will also freeze perfectly well until required.