Damp Apple and Almond Cake

One of my wonderful customers at the bookstore was chatting with me about baking and I told her about our new gluten-free lifestyle and how baking is quite a challenge these days. She recommended that I try Nigella Lawson's weirdly-named Damp Apple and Almond Cake. Through the power of the Internet I scrounged up the recipe which you can also access here for a better photograph.

The cake turned out to be delicious although I was a bit put off by how truly damp it is on the inside. I prefer my baked goods a bit more dessicated, so I limited myself to one slice and a few stolen crumbs here and there, while Dan devoured the remainder. The cake is not too sweet and would make a nice teatime treat.

Damp Apple and Almond Cake

Nigella Lawson

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

• 3 apples eating apples, such as Braeburns

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 8 eggs

• 1 3/4 quarters cup superfine sugar

• 3 1/4 cups ground almonds

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/2 cup flaked almonds

• 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

Peel, core and chop the apples roughly. Put them in a saucepan with one the lemon juice and sugar, and bring the pan to a boil over a medium heat. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until you can mash the apple to a rough puree with a wooden spoon or fork. (You should have about one heaped cup of puree.) Leave to get cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F; and oil a 10” springform pan with almond oil or a flavourless vegetable oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Put the cooled puree in the processor with the eggs, ground almonds, superfine sugar and a tablespoonful — or generous squeeze — of lemon juice and blitz to a puree. Pour and scrape, with a rubber spatula for ease, into the prepared pan, sprinkle the flaked almonds on top and bake for about 45 minutes. It’s worth checking after 35 minutes, as ovens do vary, and you might well find it’s cooked earlier — or indeed you may need to give it a few minutes longer.

Put on a wire rack to cool slightly, then remove the sides of the pan. This cake is best served slightly warm, though still good cold. As you bring it to the table, push a teaspoon of confectioners’ sugar through a fine sieve to give a light dusting.