Spicy candied apple cake
Yesterday I looked at the Uitzendinggemist NRCV Doc episode: The taste of the soul. Document follows Cees Helder, Eric van Loo and Paul Craenenbroeck. Eric Loo’s cook and the chef Cees Helder successor to star at restaurant Park Hill. Paul was 17 years Craenenbroeck the Superintendent for the Benelux Guide Michelin. The documentary offers a beautiful view of the work of these three men and the connection they have with each other.
In particular, the fragments with Cees Helder touched me. The great chef who stops and after that withdrawal of his work. For months he cooked meatballs and sausages, steak and because he is the lamb from the butcher was not good enough. To his wife says, “Well it’s over, now go back cooking.” Then he prepares a perfect dish for his wife and himself, soft-boiled eggs, rolled in breadcrumbs with grated truffle and soldiers. At last he can enjoy it again.
This apple cake is a very different order, but baking always provides great satisfaction. Especially if the smell of spices fills the house slowly. In the photo, the cake one night old, making the caramel sauce in the cake is drawn. This is what the cake kleffer, but he’s still good. Maybe next time I make them thicker caramel sauce of cream and sugar / butter on top are better left behind.
Ingredients:
| Cooking time 30 minutes + 50 minutes in the oven |
• 150g dates, roughly chopped • 150 ml milk • 185 g soft butter • 150g self-raising flour • 125g light brown sugar • 1 / 4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs • 1 to 1.5 tablespoons mixed spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • • • 3 small red apples squeezed lemon juice • handful of caramels or fudge (Lonka) • icing
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Line a brownie-baking pan (20 x 20 cm) with baking paper. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the dates to. Bring the milk to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let stand 15 minutes dates.
2. Cut the apples into quarters, remove core and cut into thin slices. Sprinkle apples with lemon juice and go quickly on to the cake batter.
3. Chop the dates and milk in a food processor until a smooth puree. Spoon the puree into a bowl and add the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, spices and vanilla extract. Mix briefly with an electric mixer until smooth cake batter.
4. Pour cake batter into prepared tin and smooth the top flat. Top with apple slices overlapping. Bake 45-50 minutes in the oven. Test with a needle or the cake is cooked *. Let the cake cool in the pan.
5. Put the toffees with a dash of milk in a saucepan. Let the caramels melt, stirring. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar and pour the caramel sauce. Cut into squares and serve.
With a needle you can test if a cake is cooked. Prick the needle in the middle of the cake. If the needle comes out dry the cake, the cake is cooked. If not, then bake 5-10 minutes.