Toffee Apple Cake
I make these from a recipe inspired by Jamie Oliver but I cook them on my Kamado bbq, although I also have had great success cooking these in my Gozney wood fired pizza oven. My ingredients changed quite a bit from my first attempt and these are a proud pleaser every time. A fairly complex prep but nothing a fairly competent person could not do.
Ingredients.
- 500gm strong white bread flour. (You could use wholemeal flour especially nice with a few extra warming spices).
- 7gm Dried active yeast
- 100gm dried apple slices (these can be hard to find but Tesco do them in a nice 500gm bag)
- 5 nice eating apples, Any variety will do so choose your favourite.
- 1tsp cinnamon powder
- 2tbsp Vanilla bean paste (Asda with the baking produce)
- 150gm light brown or demerara sugar
- 100gm unsalted butter
- handful of chopped pecans
- 3 0r 4 chopped dates
- 1tsp salt
- Warm water
Method.
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl, I use my KitchenAid mixer for 99% of my recipes. Whilst this is mixing add your yeast to about 250-300ml of warm watered let it activate and get all bubbly. Once done pour slowly into the mixer until well combined. On any goven day you might need 250ml or water or 350ml water so I just mix until I have a nice dough. I then kneed this in the mixer for about 10 minutes just as I do bread. I then pop this into my proofing bowl and cover with either a towel or wrap, I have a few of those stretchy covers from Ikea and they are fab. You are looking for your dough to double in size which in my kitchen takes around an hour, in the colder weather I pop it in my boiler cupboard.
Whilst waiting I cut up the dried apple if they are big chunks but I quite often leave as is. Peel and core the eating apples and add both to a bowl. Add the Cinnamon, Vanilla paste and sugar and combine, Chop the dates and stir these into the combined mix as well as any other fruit you might want included.
Once the dough has doubled pop it out onto a floured surface and roll out either with your hands or a rolling pin. We are aiming for an oblong shape here not round. Then rub the dough with the butter which hopefully is nice and soft. again I pop mine in the boiler cupboard if it’s not. Then spread over the apple and fruit mixture evenly ish to cover the dough. Then much like making a Swiss roll you just got to roll the beast up. I use my Pizza scraper to help me but whatever works, Then cut the large dough sausage into 1″ slices and lay cut side down in a well buttered cast iron skillet type pan which I sprinkle with the pecans. I use a 12″ pan and it works perfectly. Fill the pan until you have used all the dough and then cover and leave for anther hour or so to double again and combine together.
Then pop into your pre heated bbq or wood oven (or even one of those fancy kitchen ovens) at around 200C for “about” 25 to 35 minutes or until a colour of your liking. Then remove and rest for a couple of minutes and with your bbq gloves on tip the cake out on to a plate or board so the bottom becomes the top. Tear and share as soon as you can handle the heat.
Tips.
I have used wholemeal flour and added mixed spice instead of cinnamon and this works super well too. Also any fruit works so if you love it then try it.
If you cooked this or any of my recipes then please do let me know.
