Tag Archives: Apple

Baked Apples

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

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I think I’ll always love baked apples because they remind me of my childhood. My mum is a good cook but a self-confessed terrible baker and as a result, these were the only pudding i remember having with any frequency at home. Baking is a bit like Marmite i always think, you either love it, or you hate it. If you’re a little bit anally retentive (like me) chances are you’ll love it, all that weighing and measuring and the knowledge that if you stick to the plan, you’ll end up with something great every time is very reassuring. If, on the other hand you’re a little more slapdash in the kitchen (like both my mother and my boyfriend) then chances are you’ll hate it. They both find it far too rigid and precise and simply don’t have the patience. No matter which category you fall into however, you’ll love these. There’s something so comforting about their simplicity and the fact that they’re healthy is a huge bonus as most of the sweetness comes from the dried fruit. They’re also something you can so easily change according to your mood and what’s knocking around in the cupboard. Swap the raisins for dates, the sugar for honey, add some rosewater, some chopped almonds and if you’re feeling decadent, replace the yoghurt with cream – whatever takes your fancy. I would like to point out that the rum is my own addition, my brother and i weren’t routinely fed boozy apples in an attempt to shut us up in the evenings! If you’re making these for children then simply leave the rum out and add either a splash of fruit juice or water if the mixture looks too dry.

Baked Apples with Greek Yoghurt

  • 2 baking apples (such as Bramley)
  • 100g raisins
  • 1 dessertspoonful brown sugar
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • good slug of rum
  • Greek yoghurt to serve (I used a 170g tub of 2% fat total greek yoghurt)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C, then core the apples but leave the skins on as they’re what hold the apples together whilst they cook. You may have to core the apples more than once as they’re so big, you probably won’t get it all in one go. Don’t worry if you think you’ve taken a bit much out, it just means you have a bigger space to fill with the raisin mix.

If you want to stop the apples from bursting out of their skins then score a line horizontally around the middle of the apple. If you forget, don’t worry, they’ll still be delicious and i have to admit to actually quite liking them when they’re a little wonky looking.

Place the apples onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, this is really just to stop them sticking.

In a bowl, toss together the raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar and just enough rum to plump your raisins up a bit (or more if you want it!) and mix it all together so everything’s covered.

Now all that’s left to do is fill the apples with the raisin filling, pack in as much as you can as this is where all the flavour is. Make sure you do this once the apples are already on the tray or they’ll be a pain to transfer over.

Pop the apples into your preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the skins are shrinking and the apples are bubbling, you want them soft enough that you can eat them with a spoon.

Using a fish slice, or something similar, transfer your apples to a plate, taking as much of the sticky sauce with you as you can.

Top with greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey if you fancy it, and eat while it’s still warm.

Apple cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting

10 Tuesday Jan 2012

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So, i know it’s january and we’re all supposed to be detoxing and drinking nothing but wheatgrass but frankly, i’m not very good at that. My official excuse is that i have a friend staying but that’s not entirely true, i just got the urge to bake and we happily had all these ingredients in the house so i thought i’d just go for it. What’s even worse is that i made these whilst i was waiting for my brioche to prove for my maple glazed brioche doughnuts. I told you i wasn’t doing very well with this detox malarke. I am planning on a seriously healthy eating kick after our friend leaves as i’ve had a solid few months of indulgent eating and drinking but we’re not there quite yet.

You ideally need to use something like a bramley apple as otherwise the flavour may not show through as much as you want. Also, if you don’t like the idea of a lemon cream cheese frosting you could add cinnamon instead, or even just the plain cream cheese. Have a little play around and see what you like.

  • For the cake:
  • 200g soft unsalted butter
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 1/2 apples
  • For the frosting:
  • 60g butter
  • 150g icing sugar
  • 200g cream cheese
  • zest one lemon

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Cream the butter and sugar together, i would normally do this all by hand but my butter was cold and i was in a rush so into the kitchenaid it went. Add one egg and incorporate, then 1/4 of the flour and incorporate. Continue doing this until everything is combined. Peel, core and chop the apples and fold through the cake batter and spoon into the cases.

Pop them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they’re golden brown (if you’re unsure, a skewer poked in the middle should come out clean). Depending on the type of apples you use, you might notice that there seems to be juice bubbling round the sides – fear not, this will absorb back into the cakes a they cool. Cool on a rack whilst you make your frosting.

Using an electric whisk on a medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and lemon zest and turn the mixer up a little. Mix until smooth. Chill until needed and then pipe or spoon onto your cupcakes. Eat, and don’t feel guilty.