I’m a lazy cake baker. Probably because I’d generally prefer to eat something savoury or spicy. Even for dessert! But there are times when the cake baking urge takes over and I give in. Usually with very little grace and I bake something wonderfully simple like Banana Bread. Recently I came across a small portion of stewed apple in one of my periodic freezer tidy ups (Christmas is looming and I need to make space!). It was 150ml and I suspect I had put it aside to eat with porridge over a couple of mornings.
I guessed that the 4 small mashed ripe bananas in the banana bread recipe were probably about the same volume as the stewed apples, and ignoring all the Mary Berry warnings about fruit adding liquid to cakes and causing all sorts of potential hazards, I ploughed ahead regardless. I made a few small changes to the original recipe, cooked it at a slightly higher temperature, and voila, a lovely light and fragrant cake. Sometimes you just have to push the rules to their limits.
The cake has the same moist and slightly dense texture of banana bread, very filling!
Ingredients (to fit a 9″ × 5″ lined loaf tin)
- 100g of sultanas soaked in your favourite tea (I used a lovely rooibus with vanilla gifted to me by the even lovelier Mandy over at The Complete Book), then drained and cooled
- 175g self raising flour mixed with ½ teaspoon salt
- 60ml olive oil (or use vegetable oil)
- 150g sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 150g stewed apples
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (fan) or 200 conventional oven
Mix the oil with the sugar then add the eggs one by one. Next stir in the apple followed by the sultanas and vanilla extract.
Mix in the flour and salt (you don’t need to be too gentle, it’s a very resilient cake mix) and pour into a lined loaf tin.
Bake for about an hour, covering with foil towards the end if it’s browning too quickly. It should be gently browned on top and a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle should come out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes in the tin then remove to a cooling rack and resist for as long as you can then enjoy with a cup of your favourite tea or coffee!
Chica Andaluza 