Looking for something a little exotic for your festive afternoon tea? Why not take a leaf from Michael Rantissi and Kristy Frawley’s fab new cookbook Middle Eastern Feasts (Murdoch Books). The duo from Sydney’s renowned Kepos Street Kitchen really know their stuff. The book is full of “modern classics from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea” including this delish Apple, Date and Honey Cake. This vibrant collection of recipes is a must for the kitchen library and would make a great Chrissie prezzie!
My apple, date and honey cake requires minimal effort but has maximum impact. The apples can be replaced with pears, apricots, figs or poached quinces, and the dates can be swapped for any other dried fruit.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
oil spray for greasing
200 g (7 oz) butter
120 g (4¼ oz) almond meal
80 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
10 dried dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
6 egg whites
220 g (7 oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
30 g (1 oz) flaked almonds
4 tablespoons honey (optional, see Notes)
CARAMEL APPLES
Ingredients
60 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons honey
30 g (1 oz) butter, cubed
3 large red apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Spray a 24 cm (9½ inch) springform cake tin with oil and line the base with baking paper. Spray the paper with oil. To make the caramel apples, put the sugar and honey in a large frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture forms a golden caramel – about 8–10 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the apple wedges and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the apples are golden and the sugar syrup is sticky. Stir only once or twice during cooking so they don’t break up. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. To make the cake batter, cook the butter in a separate frying pan over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside. Put the almond meal, flour and dates in a bowl. Stir until the dates have separated and are evenly coated in the almond meal and flour. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently pour the browned butter over the date mixture and stir to combine, then fold in the egg white mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Arrange the cooked apple wedges on top, trying not to add any excess liquid (reserve the liquid to drizzle over the cooked cake). Scatter the flaked almonds over the apple and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the cake is golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 20 minutes. Drizzle the honey or reserved caramel over the cake and serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTES
You can use the leftover liquid from the caramel apples to drizzle over the cooked cake instead of using honey. You can also make this into a slice by cooking it in a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) cake tin.
Images and text from Middle Eastern Feasts by Michael Rantissi & Kristy Frawley, photography by Alan Benson. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.
