What is the difference? No idea.
My mate Greg was coming for one of his now habitual Saturday morning visits with his similarly aged child - Emmett. The idea being that we get them together they play harmoniously for about 2 hours and we chat in an amiable and focussed manner. I see that some parents out there already are getting the joke. Ha yes. Of course it's nothing like that.
At any rate I like to bake a little something and today it was apple cake. A spur of the moment idea, I was greatly moved by the picture of the cake, which looked sort of country style, homesy, kind of warm and as if some rosy cheeked, buxom, delightful older woman had whipped it up. Sometimes I like to imagine that I am that woman.
I was mixing and matching a bit, I didn't have any Granny Smith apples and they are my favourite to cook with. I noted, however, that the recipe didn't do anything quite so Nazi as actually dictate what sort of apples, so I forged on.
Also I didn't have an orange and the recipe was indicating that 2 teaspoons of orange zest would be needed. So I improvised - I used a teaspoon of mandarin and a teaspoon of lemon. Because I like to live life on the edge when it comes to zest.
There is a reason why recipes don't call for more mandarin zest, they are basically opposed to giving it up. I ended up with a sodden skinless mess in my hands and a fairly angry, nude, mandarin. Before I quit anthropomorphising completely, let me also mention the lemon. Some lemons are good for juicing and not for zesting, some lemons are good for zesting but not for juicing. Guess which one I had...
It was an uphill battle. but I finally won, but at what cost? And can we say that there are any 'winners' in war?
APPLE CAKE
(From Women's Weekly Cakes and Slices)
185g butter
2 tablespoons of grated orange rind
2/3 cup of caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup plain flour
1/3 cup of milk
2 peeled and quartered apples.
Important: once you have peeled and quartered the apples, score the backs of them in even lines, it looks nice and may have something to do with heat conductivity. I wouldn't know, it's conjecture.
Grease and line with paper 20cm cake tin. Set oven to moderate, 180C.
Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in sifted flours and milk.
Spread in cake tin. Place apple portions on top, rounded side upwards.
Bake for about an hour.
There is some madness at the end of the recipe about pouring warmed marmalade over the cake *shiver*. That was never going to happen as I can't stand the stuff. But I guess you could do it if you are that way inclined.
It is a touch on the dry side, but I didn't mind as the apple was a lovely consistency. Possibly I over baked it by 10 mins.
Anyway, Greg liked it and so did I. Also Gabe. Emmett seemed not very impressed.What would he know, he's four.
My mate Greg was coming for one of his now habitual Saturday morning visits with his similarly aged child - Emmett. The idea being that we get them together they play harmoniously for about 2 hours and we chat in an amiable and focussed manner. I see that some parents out there already are getting the joke. Ha yes. Of course it's nothing like that.
At any rate I like to bake a little something and today it was apple cake. A spur of the moment idea, I was greatly moved by the picture of the cake, which looked sort of country style, homesy, kind of warm and as if some rosy cheeked, buxom, delightful older woman had whipped it up. Sometimes I like to imagine that I am that woman.
no, not like this
yes, exactly like this
I was mixing and matching a bit, I didn't have any Granny Smith apples and they are my favourite to cook with. I noted, however, that the recipe didn't do anything quite so Nazi as actually dictate what sort of apples, so I forged on.
Also I didn't have an orange and the recipe was indicating that 2 teaspoons of orange zest would be needed. So I improvised - I used a teaspoon of mandarin and a teaspoon of lemon. Because I like to live life on the edge when it comes to zest.
There is a reason why recipes don't call for more mandarin zest, they are basically opposed to giving it up. I ended up with a sodden skinless mess in my hands and a fairly angry, nude, mandarin. Before I quit anthropomorphising completely, let me also mention the lemon. Some lemons are good for juicing and not for zesting, some lemons are good for zesting but not for juicing. Guess which one I had...
It was an uphill battle. but I finally won, but at what cost? And can we say that there are any 'winners' in war?
I am for juicing biatch!
APPLE CAKE
(From Women's Weekly Cakes and Slices)
185g butter
2 tablespoons of grated orange rind
2/3 cup of caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup plain flour
1/3 cup of milk
2 peeled and quartered apples.
Important: once you have peeled and quartered the apples, score the backs of them in even lines, it looks nice and may have something to do with heat conductivity. I wouldn't know, it's conjecture.
Grease and line with paper 20cm cake tin. Set oven to moderate, 180C.
Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in sifted flours and milk.
Spread in cake tin. Place apple portions on top, rounded side upwards.
Cut side up.. see how pretty!
Bake for about an hour.
well, hello gorgeous!
There is some madness at the end of the recipe about pouring warmed marmalade over the cake *shiver*. That was never going to happen as I can't stand the stuff. But I guess you could do it if you are that way inclined.
It is a touch on the dry side, but I didn't mind as the apple was a lovely consistency. Possibly I over baked it by 10 mins.
Anyway, Greg liked it and so did I. Also Gabe. Emmett seemed not very impressed.What would he know, he's four.
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