Blackberry, apple, and almond cake - roughly based on this recipe, but here's what I did:
I peeled, cored, and chopped three dessert apples and put them into a shallow cast iron casserole in which I'd melted a knob of butter. I drizzled the apples with honey, dusted them with cinnamon, dotted on a bit more butter, and put them in a very hot oven for 15 minutes. They were cooked through, golden, and the juice they'd given off had reduced to a tablespoon or so of a suitably syrupy consistency.
For the cake mixture I used the quantities and followed the method given in the recipe, but I topped it with flaked almonds instead of hazelnuts, baked it for only 40 minutes, covering the top with foil after 25, and omitted the icing sugar.
Our garden apples aren't ready for picking yet, but I shall certainly make this cake again when they are as it's very good indeed.
Many thanks for the tip – we've plenty of apples to use up and cake ALWAYS goes down well in this house :-)
Posted by: Sam | 21 September 2015 at 11:27 AM
I'm thinking I might increase the quantities next time, Sam. The amounts given are ample, but for a heartier cake for hungrier people, a deeper one would do well.
Posted by: Cornflower | 21 September 2015 at 11:34 AM
That does look good.
Posted by: Mary | 21 September 2015 at 12:18 PM
As I have both cookers and eaters in the garden, I think I'll experiment next time and use some of each.
Posted by: Cornflower | 21 September 2015 at 12:30 PM
Mmmmm. That looks and sounds delicious. Next doors windfalls and blackberries aplenty in my own garden so will definitely be making this in the near future.
Posted by: Fran H-B | 21 September 2015 at 02:05 PM
This is on my list now, it looks delicious. I think that I might use the greengages that I have in the bowl instead of apples.
Posted by: Toffeeapple | 21 September 2015 at 05:11 PM
This is not uppermost in your mind and why should it be? But I thought you'd like to know that Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah last week and it is customary to serve apples and honey at the festive meals to signify the wish for a sweet new year.
Your timing is (almost) perfect. I will file away the recipe for next year!
Posted by: Naomi | 21 September 2015 at 11:00 PM
Gosh that sounds yummy ...I tried this recipe this week http://kitchen-tested.com/2014/09/22/german-apple-cake-apfelkuchen/
it was both easy and tasty and is rather like your recipe only the other way up so to speak...:o)
Now I shall try yours!
Posted by: Val | 22 September 2015 at 05:52 AM
Lovely to have the ingredients on hand!
Posted by: Cornflower | 22 September 2015 at 09:14 AM
Why not? That sounds very good.
Posted by: Cornflower | 22 September 2015 at 09:15 AM
I didn't know that, Naomi, so thank you for the information, and what a nice tradition - here's to a sweet new year!
Posted by: Cornflower | 22 September 2015 at 09:15 AM
That looks very good, too, Val. Thank you!
Posted by: Cornflower | 22 September 2015 at 09:17 AM
Thank you!
Posted by: Naomi | 22 September 2015 at 02:57 PM
Yours looks yummier than the original recipe. I have to make a cake for girlfriends coming next week - I think I'll make your version. I've lots of frozen blackcurrants from our bushes - I guess I could use those instead of blackberries. Thanks for the recipe.
Posted by: Claire | 25 September 2015 at 08:07 AM