Saturday 27 October 2012

The Marzipator strikes back - Dorset Apple Cake with Marzipan

Somehow, it could not be avoided. The marzipator strikes back. How could get things get that far again?
Well it didn't start so bad. I ended up with several tons (note: exaggeration) of apples. They came in from different sides. It's the time for apples.
There are many lovely things you can do with them ... that is apart from just eating them as they are. The saying goes: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" That would mean I don't see the doctor for quite some time. I don't know whether that works. As far as I know, apples can't prevent accidents.
Anyway, you could use your apples for apple sauce, apple crumble, apple pancakes, apple porridge, many many other things and ... apple cake.
Now things are as follows. For quite some time there is a blog challenge going on. It's about the Best of British food and every month, there is a different region covered. The challenge is sponsored by The Face of New World Appliances and this month it is hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage with the theme Dorset. Have a look at London Unattached from Fiona as well.
Consequently this leaves me no chance as to bake a Dorset Apple Cake. I had a look at a few recipes and they all have some basic things in common. Apple is the obvious, but usually there are also some ground almonds in it.
That is the point were the marzipator and therefore the marzipan comes into play. It has to do with almonds anyway. So why not add some of it to the cake.



See for yourself!

Ingredients:
450 g of apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces (more or less)
Juice of 1 lemon
250 g flour
2 tsp baking powder
250 g butter (I was too lazy to measure, so I decided for a whole package)
150 g brown sugar
50 g ground almonds
100 g marzipan
2 eggs
Some extra sugar mixed together with ground cinnamon

Method (if you want to call it that way):
Well, what to do now. I could simply tell you to just throw all ingredients into a big bowl and mix thoroughly, but ...
Toss the pieces of apple in the juice and let them sit in it.
Sift the flour and the baking powder into a big bowl. Then start kneading in the butter and create some crumbles.
Add the sugar, the ground almonds and the marzipan. Crack open the eggs and release the content into the bowl, not bothering about separating and beating egg whites.
Now is the time to mix or knead it through thorougly. Do it as you want it. I used only my bare hands and did it as messy as possible. However, if you should decide to do the same, make sure you have the usual round (about 25 cm) cake tin greased and ready and the oven going at 180°C.
Naturally, the content of the bowl moves over to the cake tin.



Once managed, it goes into the oven for 50 minutes until it gets nicely browned.
By the way, this is now two cakes in a row, since my last post was about a cake as well. Should I rename to Baking Around the World?
When the cake is ready and you removed it from the oven, let it cool down a bit and then try your best to move it over to a plate without falling apart. I managed kind of.



After the cake was sitting safely on the plate, I simply couldn't resist to sprinkle some magic cinnamon-sugar on top.
I hope you enjoy the cake. If you have some nice clotted cream available, that would give it another boost. So ... go for it!
Otherwise, you may have the chance to get to Dorset and get a piece of Dorset Apple Cake in a nice tearoom (of course it will be without marzipan).



Near this place I know a nice tearoom. Whatsoever, there are many other nice things to see in Dorset along the Jurassic Coast and beyond. I want to come to an end of this post and leave you with some impressions of Dorset ...







15 comments:

  1. Cinnamon and apple in a cake . . . winning combination as far as I'm concerned and the marizipan is a really nice touch :) What I am wondering is whether the half a hundred weight of marzipan I still have from last Christmas' mammoth baking session is still useable? What do you think?

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    1. I would never give up on leftover marzipan. Have a try!

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  2. Great minds think alike :) Adding marzipan is a fabulous idea Chris, what a nice combination.

    I've been trying to find out whose hosting Best of Brtish this month, I thought Karen hosted last month?

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    1. :-) That is what I heard as well! The marzipan simply jumped into my face, when planning the cake.

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  3. Thanks so much for this great entry into Best off British and Dorset! What a winning combination and I adore marzipan and apples,so a perfect cake. Karen

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    1. Thank you! This whole cake business was inevitable. It was a simple equation. Apples + Best of British Dorset challenge + marzipan = Dorset Apple Cake with Marzipan!

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  4. Ohmygod marzipan. MARZIPAN! I'm a Brit reading this from South Korea where homes have no ovens, and the stores have NO MARZIPAN. I crave it all winter. This sounds amazing, and I may well commission my more culinary skilled little brother to make this for me upon my return to the UK in March.

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    1. This sounds very difficult, having no oven and no marzipan. I hope you can manage somehow. As to the marzipan, though, you could maybe make your own.

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  5. marzipan and apples.... a wow combo and looks like the cake must have been great.

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    1. It really was. Some weeks before, I wanted to make baked apples stuffed with marzipan, but I didn't have apples in the house at that time. So when I did the cake, I thought it might work and, well ... it did.

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  6. I just have to make this as I love marcipan and apples so this sounds like heaven to me!

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  7. I love marzipan - this is a definite win! I'm from Dorset and your pics are some of my fave places and where I grew up. :-)

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    1. Thank you! I enjoyed all those places on foot this year.

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  8. Love your twist on the Dorset Apple Cake and it sounds delicious with marzipan. Love you photos too.

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