Spiced Bramley Apple Cake with Maple Whiskey Glaze Recipe

For the cake

200g softened butter

180g light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 bramley apple

300g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ lemon, zest only

60ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.  Line a 22cm loose base springform tin with baking parchment. Place the butter and sugar into a mixer and whisk until light and fluffy.Beat the eggs together in a bowl with a fork and mix in stages into the butter and sugar, adding 1 tbsp of flour to stabilise as needed

Quickly peel and dice small the bramley apple, then fold into the egg mixture. Sift the plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together.Fold the flour and spices into the egg mixture and add the lemon zest.Add the milk in to form a soft cake batter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Insert a skewer to check that it is ready. It should come out clean. Cool on a rack before taking out of the tin.Meantime, pour the maple syrup into a pan with the butter and whiskey and leave to simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until a fluid sauce forms, stirring from time to time.  Slice the pink lady apples in even wedges and add them to the sauce and leave to cook a little, until the apples absorb the lovely flavours from the sauce. Then let cool. To make the frosting whisk together the mascarpone, sour cream, lemon zest and juice and icing sugar.  Taste and adjust as needed by adding more lemon or icing sugar. To decorate spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake and arrange the apples in a rose petal fashion on top.

Maple Taffy

Ingredients

1 to 3 cups of pure maple syrup (1 cup is enough for a small family of three)

1 to 2 teaspoons of butter (it reduces splutter and spillover)

candy thermometer (not mandatory, but preferable)

snow (or finely crushed ice)

popsicle sticks

On medium heat, bring maple syrup and butter to a boil while stirring constantly. Use a sugar thermometer and remove maple taffy from heat when the mercury reaches anywhere from 235ºF to 245ºF. If you’re making taffy without a sugar thermometer, then keep stirring the syrup at a boil for roughly between 5 – 10mins or until it reaches 115 – 118 degrees. Prepare a tray of finely crushed ice by adding ice to blender/food processor, or place a  large dish or tray into the freezer for a few hours. Once this step is complete, remove taffy from heat and let it cool 

til all bubbles subside. Then conduct a test by pouring a small amount of taffy onto the crushed on ice, or the plate/tray from the freezer. Is the taffy thick yet supple enough that it wraps around a popsicle stick with ease? Does it stay put on the stick? Perfect. You’re good to go.If the Taffy is too thin? Then put it back on the heat and bring to a boil again for 2 to 5 minutes max. And try the test again. If it’s too thick and rigid? add small increments of water and stir until the taffy reaches