Apple and Flaxseed Cake

Back at last to a lovely, loaf cake recipe for this month's blog with refreshing apple and milled flaxseed added to the batter. The apple makes a wonderfully moist and not over sweet cake with a hint of cinnamon. Again, a very simple recipe, based on a tea loaf  with slightly more flour to fat ratio to soak up the apple juices. Adding the nutty tasting flaxseed on top it ; could almost be healthy... in moderation!

I love this flaxseed topping and use it in a variety of bakes but my favourite is the apple cake so far and, on my porridge with a teaspoon of honey in the morning. Flaxseed, also known as Linseed, is one of nature’s richest sources of the essential fatty acid Omega 3 (ALA). It's good to have a healthy ingredient and I really like the slightly nutty taste it imparts to the cake.

The recipe  uses two medium Bramley apples which melt into the batter, giving the cake a juicy apple centre. The apple pieces are quite large to stop them breaking down too fast ; about  2cm by 1cm. If you use eating apples, such as Granny Smith's, make them 1cm cubes but you will need to add 2-3 tbsp of milk to the batter to adjust for lost juice. You can adjust the cinnamon to taste if you prefer a more distinct cinnamon flavour.

This recipe bakes two loaf style cake.

Text Only Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

250g   Butter

250g   Demerara sugar 

       3  Large eggs

280g   Self raising flour

2 Medium Bramley Apples

1 tbsp Flaxseed for the batter
1 tsp   Cinnamon

Topping
1 tbsp Flaxseed mixed with
1 tbsp Demarara sugar 

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

2lb Loaf Tin - lined x 2

Cream the sugar and butter together until light, slightly more trying with the larger demerara sugar crystals but just as important to give it a good beating!  Stir in the eggs one at a time. Mix in half the flour, cinnamon and the flaxseed.  Fold in the rest of the flour. Batter should a little stiffer than usual and not fall easily off the spoon - adjust with slightly more yoghurt or milk as needed if using eating apples.

Place a layer of the batter in the tin and start to add 1/4 of the apples ; evenly spaced out. Gently stir the rest of the apples in the batter and put in tin. 

Bake in the centre of the oven until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Check after 30 minutes and depending on the type of tin you have chosen lower the oven temperature to 120c if it looks like it is browning too quickly on top. 

Place skewer or cocktail stick through cake and check. This is much more difficult when using larger pieces of fruit in a cake which may get stuck on the skewer and obscure the cooked cake particles. However, retest in a different part of the cake near the centre and make sure cake springs back when touched. Brush the top lightly with boiled water and sprinkle on the flaxseed and sugar topping. Leave cake in tin to cool for 15 mins minimum.

Wrap cake in foil/film to maintain moistness. Wonderful for tea time or any time !