El Nino wrecked havoc on our weather system here in Australia. After waiting patiently through spring and summer for autumn to arrive, it never did. Here in Sydney, it went from summer to a balmy spring straight to winter. As a result, our annual apple picking tour had to expedited as the apple harvest was much lower and shorter compared to previous years. Tomorrow is officially the first day of winter and while the cold has finally set in, the trees are confused with many just about starting to turn red. As the branches still hold on to their golden leaves oblivious to the fact that autumn is gone, the 20 odd kilos of apples we picked are continuing to provide heaps of crunch and cold weather comfort in our kitchen.
I have baked many an apple cake but never one with almond meal. I wonder why that combination never struck a chord in my mind as it is really delicious. The resulting cake with spelt flour and spices added to the mix is light and warming. I usually top the cake with thin slices of apple but this time I chose to grate the apple. I would suggest using the freshest apples you can find, because the fresh ones will be really sweet and juicy both of which the cake demands as there is very little added sugar or liquid to the cake. Plus fresh apples are a dream to grate with their juices running amok. Have you tried grating an apple from the supermarket? It is a dry as a desert nightmare!
I have a million bundt tins. I love collecting them and looking at them. Recently, I have chucked caution to the wind and actually use a lot of them to bake my cakes. Once you get the hang of greasing and flouring your tins perfectly, baking in bundt tins need not be a nightmare. Even cakes with fruit added to them, like this one. In the recipe below, I share detailed instructions on how to grease, flour and un-mould your bundt tins for a perfectly shaped cake. This apple cake tastes better on the second and third day because the spice really develops in flavour. Best had with a generous lashing of fresh cream and a smattering of ground cinnamon. From a vintage cake tin. Sitting on a blanket of rusty leaves. By the lake. Steaming mug of tea in hand.
If you make and love this cake, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Also please remember to rate the recipe for others wanting to try it out. If you are sharing your wonderful creations on social media, please do tag me #cookrepublic xx
Recipe
Hungry For More Recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter. Check out Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see everything I share! And if you love cooking and new cookbooks, join my free Cooking Club on Facebook!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 100 g melted butter
- 1/4 cup 70ml maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract/powder
- 1 cup 110g almond meal
- 1 cup 140g spelt flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 200 g grated apple, peeled and cored
- icing sugar, to dust
- fresh cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C (conventional) / 160C (fan forced).
- Grease and line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper. If using a bundt tin, brush the insides of the bundt with melted butter ensuring you get the butter in all the nooks and crevices. Dust the inside of the bundt tin liberally with flour, tapping and turning the tin to ensure that every bit of the buttered surface gets covered with flour. Tap and shake off the excess flour.
- Place eggs, butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and just combined. Add the almond meal, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Stir through the grated apple and mix gently until the batter is evenly mixed.
- Pour batter in the prepared tin. Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 40-42 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven.
- If using a bundt tin, allow to cool in the tin for 30-45 minutes. At this point the cake should come away from the edges and the bottom of the tin should be just warm. Loosen the sides of the cake with a metal butter knife and whack the bottom with the palm of your hand. Place a large overturned dinner plate onto the top of the bundt tin and then flip it over to let the cake drop on the plate.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve with fresh cream.
Hi Sneh, the cake tastes so good! It took a while to bake - completely my fault- went a bit nuts with the apples - used 3 galas (about 350g) - one grated, one diced and one sliced for on top as I don’t have a tin with a pretty base like yours. I didn’t have spelt so just used plain flour and almond meal. I increased the spices and added cardamom and cloves (special request as I was baking it for a family member) but the flavour on day 2 is so mellow and lovely and the cake is beautifully moist. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi - this cake looks amazing! My family are addicted to cakes with chunks of apple. Sorry to ask - you’ve obviously perfected this as a recipe and I hope this question doesn’t offend - but do you think this would work if half the apple was diced or extra diced apple was added? If I didn’t grate all the apples would I need to add liquid elsewhere? Maybe more maple syrup if I used tart apples? (Tho I love the limited sugar I this cake) have just gotten into baking (Lockdown therapy!) and have a shiny new Bundt pan dying for a try-out.
Hi Ania! By all means, keep the apples chunky. No problem! The cake will still work, it will just have a different texture. The apples release liquid as they cook so you won't need any other liquid additions. Just make sure it is not a deeply grooved bundt, as with chunky apples, everything might stick and the cake might not come out cleanly. x
If only we weren't on different continents, Sneh...I'd love to take one of your classes.
This cake is lovely, especially with the hand-picked apples.
I can't wait to make it.
I love simple cakes like this one, perfect to enjoy by the sliver all day long. 🙂
Hi Sneh,
Fabulous cake to make on this currrrazy blustery Sydney day.
Delicious with warming spices to boot.
Mine was paler in colour so wondering how yours looked more of a caramel colour?
Dusted off the 'ol bundt tin so looks fabulous too!
So lovely to hear Carmen. It is a day for baking isn't it? I've got peanut butter cookies in the oven. The colour could be for any number of reasons - oven heat, grade of maple syrup or the spelt flour itself. I have used wholemeal spelt flour which is darker than white spelt flour. Is that what you used?
Hello Sneh just found your blog thanks to a link provided by David Lebovitz and am enjoying having a read. I'm a kiwi from the far south city of Dunedin in NZ and we too had a long hot summer and then overnight 2 weeks ago it became winter. Brrrr. Today its sunny and cool. I've been collecting apples from trees on the family farm and because of the long hot summer they ripened beautifully and although a little marked they are free of spray and nasties and are sweet and juicy. Thank you for your lovely work.
Shona, thank you for stopping by and letting me know about David's link suggestion. I was wondering where all my new subscribers were coming from :-). Your apples sound lovely, I wonder what you will make with them. Hope your weekend is wonderful. x
Oh that same thing seemed to happen here - it was all warm and sunny, short-and-t-shirt Melbourne days, and then we woke up and suddenly it was 3° in the morning! Crazy. Love the sound of this cake too - great idea using almond meal, and the lighting in the shots is stunning. Love how it is just maple syrup as a sweetener too! x
Funny about the weather hey? Hope you are staying warm and dry this weekend. Weather is crazy in Sydney! Saw it is ferocious all week in Melbourne too? I love when a cake is carried forward mostly by the sweetness of the fruit! The best 🙂
Oh, fortunately El Nino came to California this year (though I wasn't actually here to enjoy it 😉 ). This apple cake looks delicious, though, and it is simply stunning. xo
Ah, glad you missed El Nino 🙂 Thanks for your lovely words Abby x
A wonderful cake! Sounds heavenly.
Pretty shots, as usual.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks darling Rosa xx
Snap Sneh! I just made a delightful apple cake too, although it wasn't made in such a lovely bundt tin - I too have had previous issues with my butter/flouring skills, so good to see your useful tips. I love apples baked in cakes and especially as crumble... this time of year is one of my favourites, so I'm sorry your apple picking time was cut short! Gorgoues photography as always, such a story your images tell. x
Aha Great minds 😉 Thank you for your gorgeous words. Oooh I adore apple crumble! Such a sucker for it too. Hope you and your boys are doing well. x
sounds wonderful! I love apple & almonds in baked goods.
'dry as a desert nightmare' ha! Perfect analogy. Love it. I own one lonely bundt tin that I don't use nearly enough!
ha ha cheers Alison 🙂 You must bake in the bundt. Its crazy how much more delicious the cake tastes lol.
This is a beautiful cake, the flavour combination is lovely.
I love the pictures and the tin you've used is gorgeous too.
Thanks dear Angela! x
Could I grind whole almonds into a flour and use that instead of almond meal ?? I just don't have almond meal on hand right now
I know I replied on Insta Adity, but just writing here as well for the benefit of others. Yes, absolutely. I grind almonds to a fine meal if I don't have actual meal on hand.
I actually have a ton of almond meal in the cupboard so I might give it a go. Looks really delicious!
Hope you love it Di. Thanks x