Apple cake
Here’s In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree by Duke Ellington
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup white sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
pinch allspice, nutmeg
4 small apples – peeled, cored and diced into 1/3 inch pieces, roughly
3 heaping T blackberry jam, mixed with one T cassis or other dark berry liqueur
3 T butter
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 cup rolled oats
In a large bowl cream the butter, molasses and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add all of the dry ingredients. Stir to make a thick batter. The apples will supply all the moisture that you need, and you’re going to add them…now!
Mix everything together and pour it into a prepared 8 or 9 inch cake tin. (prepared by being greased with butter and dusted with flour)
Spread the jam over the top of it.
In a small frying pan, combine the golden syrup, sugar and butter. When the sugar is melted and the butter is foamy, stir in the oats. Spread this evenly over the top of the jam.
Bake at 375 for 30- 40 minutes, until it’s browned and cripsy on top, and the center doesn’t wobble, and a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean.
Out of the Ordinary 
This looks great Claire – Ruth got a weird apple corer and peeler gadget, from her parents for her birthday last week, so we need an excuse to use it – still have carrot cake going at the moment – but this’ll be up next… (I was influenced by your blog for the pie and mash meal I cooked on her birthday – cheers)
Carrot cake! I was just thinking about carrot cake. I haven’t made that in ages! Tell Ruth happy birthday, and I hope your little ones are well.
Pip and Zane are ace thanks (pictures here):
http://saneshane.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/happy-birthday/
I thought you might like to see photos of dishes you’ve inspired – I don’t really follow recipes, but take elements and adapt them.. I have some pastry made up that needs using today – so I’m on a search through for inspiration probably Eggplant, spinach, style pie – with roasties – because it’s been really frosty. Pie and roast potatoes suit frosty weather.
Hope you are all well.
Shane, those are wonderful wonderful pictures!! Your family is so beautiful. Your photos are so perfect!
I don’t follow recipes, either, but it’s nice to have something to jump off from.
Thanks for showing me the photos! They’re lovely.
Great pictures, Shane – your family is lovely and the house looks amazing!
thanks Claire and TFD.
I made the cake on Sunday (it’s gone down a treat) I hardly ever bake cakes – Ru, is the specialist there – I make cheesecakes.
But this turned out wonderfully – had to cook it longer because I used the apple peeler and corer gadget, so was just bunging loads of apple in.
The topping is a mouth watering joy – mine turned out to have a toffee style crunch to it – yum..
see if I can add pictures:
Gosh, they made me moderate that comment? What’s that all about?
I’m glad the cake turned out well. I wanted mine to have a toffee style crunch too. How did you do it?
I did add code for the cake pictures – that’s probably why it got moderated (click on the happy birthday link above for my blog again – the pictures are in the comment section on there – then click on those to get them bigger)
As for the toffee style – well I just baked it longer – because of the amount of apples it just stayed rather wobbly and undercooked because of the moisture. That’s my guess – it actually tasted like a very special toffee apple – oaty crisp top/jam/ apples – it really has gone down a storm.
I haven’t made mine yet cos I keep forgetting to buy the jam. But I’m certainly interested in the toffee-style crunch element.
I’ve made it! It’s delicious! Cunningly, I made a big one and a little one so I can eat the little one now and take the big one to Ab’s tomorrow.
I’m glad it turned out okay! Was your topping crunchy?
Yes, it’s super-crunchy!