Gluten Free Dorset Apple Cake
The rumours of Dorset are true: there are apples everywhere! There are boxes and baskets outside people's houses and inside coffee shops asking you to take them. Family will ask you to come over and pick them. I, like a little apple-kleptomaniac, cannot resist. I am happy to help out by filling up my hoody pockets or accepting a whole bagful. I was sincerely nervous to make a Dorset Apple Cake that might offend Dorset-dwellers, having not actually sampled a local one. So I took the cowards way and transported the apples to London and made the cake there for my parents bridge evening. I consulted various sources seeking authenticity, so I've got to thank a deleted reddit user for posting Miss Annette Vipan's recipe, as given to her by a farmer's wife in North Chideock, Bridport Then I have to thank Ainsley Harriott for what is essentially a very faithful metric version of Miss Vipan's recipe, which I rebelled against for slicing all the apples instead of chopping them into chunky apple morsels, which is the best part of an apple cake. Sod adding raisins/currants/sultanas, they are not welcome in my apple cake. And I thank Dorset Council's historic research in reproducing a recipe from 1896 which ultimately gave me the confidence to say 'it should have some spices in but probably not that many'. I used a pre-cut paper cake tin liner, an inheritance from my late grandmother on my mum's side. Felt like a real cheat, what a breeze that was, she knew how to live! I didn't get a picture before my stepmother sliced into it. I can't blame her though, it smelled delicious and everyone was excited to have a piece. Here's what I ended up with:
Ingredients
About 5-6 small apples, of which you want to end up with - 225g of peeled chopped apple (about 3-4 apples, depending on how many worms you found) - 2 apples peeled and thinly sliced for decorating the top
110g golden caster sugar
225g gluten free self-raising flour (I used Doves Farm, you can use plain flour + 1 tsp baking powder)
110g cold unsalted butter (straight out the fridge)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 large eggs
60ml milk
1- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
To serve: Clotted cream or Dorset Blue Vinny cheese are apparently the most traditional choices, though this would go well with any cream, custard or ice-cream
Method
Preheat oven to 160 C Fan / 180 C Conventional / Gas Mark 4
Grease and line an 8 inch / 20cm round cake tin
Measure the caster sugar into a bowl. Add the peeled chopped apples to the sugar and stir to coat.
Weigh the flour into a large bowl. Chop the cold butter into little pieces and add it to the flour. Rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon and salt (and the baking powder if you used plain flour)
Beat the eggs and milk together, beat this into the flour mix in 3 additions
Stir the apples and sugar into the batter
Pour batter into prepared tin. Roughly level the mixture, arrange apple slices on top, and sprinkle over the demerara sugar
Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean
Enjoy warm, or leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.