… there’s a point in the autumn when enough is enough and the summer really does have to say goodbye. El Nino or not, if it doesn’t get cold soon then bad stuff is sure to find us. Last Sunday found us sitting on the bench outside the cottage in t-shirts and shorts and sweating! We had an invasion of ladybirds, which was really freaky… and then to top it all off there were at least 5 butterflies flapping around the garden. Last Sunday was November the 1st. That’s the first of November people! I guess one can’t really complain. It’s not as though we’re living in fear for our lives because of the weather but this is England and we jolly well ought to have things how they should be by now… thankfully the fruit on the trees haven’t quite seemed to have noticed and those apples and pears continue to fall in abundance…
apple, pear and cinnamon cake
this is my favourite ‘go-to’ apple cake for this time of year as it’s really easy to make and of course tastes so good, plus it’s so absolutely crammed full of apples and pears it’s a wonder there’s any cake batter in there at all. I love all that cinnamon too. It makes it such a warming cake for autumn and you could easily add sultanas or almond slithers in it too… oh and don’t panic whilst you’re making this that the batter seems to thick, you need a strong arm once all those apple and pear chunks go in, it seems crazy but it works!
…a word of warning on the cooking time… I say between 45mins to an hour but it all depends on how juicy your apples and pears are, my cake actually took 1 hour and 10 minutes before I was happy it wasn’t un-cooked in the middle and it still came out super-moist, I just had to wrap the top with foil for the last 30 mins…
1lb apples and pears – peeled and diced
6oz golden caster sugar
6oz softened butter
2 large free-range eggs – beaten
2 tablespoons milk
9oz self raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pre-heat the oven to 170C and grease and line a 20cm-22cm round loose-bottomed cake tin
cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, sprinkle in the cinnamon
add one egg and whisk it into the batter, then add half the flour and whisk again, repeat with the other egg and the remainder of the flour then add the milk to slacken the batter slightly.
fold in the apple and pear chunks and try and stir it all together
spoon in to the cake tin and then line the top of the cake with finely sliced apple segments and brush with melted honey.
bake for anywhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour, checking regularly to see if it’s cooked through by inserting a skewer. Once it’s ready, remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin
This cake batter works equally well used in muffin cases (obviously the baking time is less) but it also works using stewed fruit (I did it with stewed apples and rhubarb.)
because i’ve used divine British apples and pears i’m linking this cake to the Love Cake bloggers link-up hosted by Jibber Jabber as the theme is Best of British
eat and of course, enjoy!
Same here weather wise. It is, however, coming up on late fall and the flora need cold weather–really cold weather. That said, I am imaging the delicious aromas about your kitchen with this lovely fruit creation in the oven!!
Best,
Bonnie
This looks terrific. I'll be trying it out tomorrow.
JP
Oh that texture! I thought from the photo that you must have use almond flour, but I see not. It looks amazing! We're having warm weather too, here in California, but that's no surprise. I am looking forward to El Nino 🙂
that cake looks so lovely & moist! we have a few apples hanging onto the tree but I think we need to pick them today, before they fall.
Dom, if I had some apples and pears in the house just now, I'd make this today. Alas, must wait until my next shopping day. Beautiful!
Oooh this looks absolutely delicious, please send a slice no make that two or maybe just the whole cake! Perfect for autumn, my favourite season of the year.
Lovely Autumnal bake Dom, perfect for enjoying with a cuppa in this very wet and windy weather
The warm weather has been so weird lately. It's been a fantastic year for apples and pears though, been selling a great variety of locally grown ones at work, need to do more baking with them 🙂
Ladybirds and butterflies? Is it Spring? I saw a few bees at the weekend too!
The cake looks stuffed full of fruit and amazingly moist. Just as an apple and pear cake should be. I think it would be extra yummy with a big glug of custard!
The texture looks really moist. Wish I can have a slice too.
Kristy
SIMPLY stunning and with all my favourite ingredients too……perfect for a wintry afternoon tea and a cuppa!
This looks delightfully squidgy, which is just how a good bake should be. Very envious of your pears. We had a day like yours when we baked by the sea trying to collect seaweed, but it's been so grey and miserable ever since, it's faded like a good dream.
We had that same invasion just a couple of weeks ago. Seems like it always happens in autumn after the first frost. Indian Summer = Beetles. What a lovely and delicious cake!
I love an apple and pear cake but it has to made with proper seasonal apples and pears! So far my apple tree in the garden hasn't produced a single apple so I have to resort to overhanging trees! I do know of another apple tree that still has apples on so I may have to pay it a visit soon!
We love apple cakes and I make a similar one, but I need to add more cinnamon like your recipe includes.