Thursday 16 October 2014

Mutterings and Dorset Apple cake

Your supper's nearly ready.  I've a-got
Some teaties here a-doen in the pot;
I wish wi' all my heart I had some meat.
I got a little ceake too, here, a-beaken o'n
Upon the vier.  'Tis done by this time though
He's nice an' moist; vor when I were-a meakin o'n
I stuck some bits ov apple in the dough.

William Barnes (Dorset poet)

This is an extract from a poem dated 1835, entitled "Father Come Home"  by William Barnes, the famous Dorset dialect poet.  Here is a mention of an early Dorset apple cake - although I think it was a dough-type cake and not the sort we make today.

We are visiting friends tomorrow, and I have a thousand apples needing to be used up, so Dorset Apple Cake sprang to mind.  Here is the recipe I used, from Dorset Food by Jo Draper.

SPICY DORSET APPLE CAKE

4 oz butter or margarine
4 oz caster or brown sugar
8 oz flour, S-R or adjusted
1 lb cooking apples
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice or a mixture to your taste
3 oz currants or sultanas
2 eggs

Rub the margarine and the flour together, add the spices, sugar, peeled, cored and sliced apples, currants and the beaten eggs.  Put the mixture in a large greased cake tin (10 inch round or 8" square) and bake at gas mark 6 (425F, 218C) for 35 - 45 minutes.  The large amount of apple makes the cake a little fragile, so leave in the tin for 5 minutes or more before removing.  If you do not have a large cake tin, use two smaller cake tins and reduce the cooking time a little.

In the past I have arranged sliced apple around the top of the cake, but these can scorch so may need a covering of foil if this happens towards the end of the cooking time.  Good as a hot pudding too, with cream or custard. . .

Mine is still baking in the oven, and I will include a photo later - here it is before it went in:


And after it came out.  It might now, actually, be a couple of slices smaller!  It is SCRUMMY!!!  I shall take slices tomorrow, rather than 2/3 of a cake . . .  Cunning eh?




Photos also of last night's quick pizza (excuse the battered old tin plate - one my OH brought back from t'other side of the world, and still useful!):


I was able to use my lactose-free cheese on the top.

Lastly, getting the most from the slow-cooker - here it is helping along a 2nd proving of a little loaf:


It was still nice and toasty from cooking the jacket spuds all afternoon long.

7 comments:

  1. The apple cake sounds delicious - thanks for the recipe - will definitely be making one :)

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  2. Sadly, apples don't like me :o( I used to make this cake all the time and it is heavenly. Hope all is well and you're not drowned out with all this rain...

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  3. I must try this cake !
    For so many years I haven't wanted to eat apples, the store apples are so tasteless.
    You are lucky to have good apples.
    But This cake looks so good I must give it a try.

    cheers, parsnip

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  4. Bon appetite. Hubby, however, made no comment after his piece, and when asked, just said "too sweet". Sigh. It doesn't have that much sugar in it . . .

    I hope those of you who are able to eat apples/buy decent apples, enjoy it. I expect you could make it with pears too . . .

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  5. That pudding looks perfect for an informal meal - shall copy it out ready.

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  6. Your apple dessert and the pizza look fabulously delicious.

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  7. Copied the recipe, it looks delicious.. I love savoury biscuits and also biscuits made with peanut butter - but all fattening, sigh -

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