I have been caught out! The ‘chief tester’ has just worked out that I ‘bake to blog’….. he thought I baked for him! Oh dear 🙂

The truth is that with no teenage boys at home there is little need to keep the Tupperware full of homemade treats. When there is a school lunch box to fill up 5-days a week there was always a need for fresh Muffins, Banana Cake and Chocolate Chip cookies. The ‘chief tester’ and I sure don’t need the extra calories either 🙂

I do look out for occasions when I have the excuse to bake something yummy – you know the times? If you know for sure that you will have a visitor in advance of them ‘popping in’…..or it’s the ‘chief tester’s’ birthday!

This recipe for an Apple & Walnut Cake actually came from one of those forward notices of a visitor. The ‘chief tester’ had mentioned he was seeing his youngest daughter on Monday for a catch-up. To give you some background his youngest lives locally and is a mum to a little 15month old daughter. I naturally assumed the ladies would be popping over and thought I would have a nice home-made cake to offer up with that coffee – well something for the grown-ups anyway. A packet of Milk Arrowroots in the pantry, and apples in the fruit bowl would suffice the little lady!

This cake is super nice warm dusted with icing sugar however is also good the next day. The apples keep it moist and the spices make the aroma rather mouth-watering.

Ingredients:

• 125g butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 medium apples, chopped (skin on)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Melt the butter in a microwave bowl – add sugar, egg and spices and beat with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed

Chop the apples into small pieces the size of raisins; stir into the butter mix

Sift the flour and baking soda into the bowl – add in the walnuts and raisins, and fold together

Line a 20cm round tin with baking paper, then spoon the cake mix into the tin, spreading it out evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180c if using a fan oven (190c for normal bake). Cake is cooked when the centre. Springs back when pressed and a skewer in the centre comes out clean.

Serve warm dusted with icing sugar.

But back to the story of the visitors and the reason for the baking….turns out the ‘chief tester’ headed out for that coffee and we had to eat the cake for desert that night…with a dollop of unsweetened yoghurt on the side!

Perhaps that was his plan after all? After all if the blogging comes before the baking he needs all the reasons he can come up for the baking to come first!!

Happy baking xx