This recipe I am sharing with you today is for a wonderfully moist and delicious golden layer cake filled and frosted with a lush and rich chocolate frosting.

 

When I worked at the Manor this was the Birthday cake that I had to make for the Mister every year on his Birthday.  It was his favourite cake, the only difference being that I had to use an American golden yellow cake mix to bake it for them, rather than from scratch as that was what they were used to.

 

I will tell you right now, that cake isn't a touch on how good this one is.  This is many, MANY times better.

 

It is a recipe I adapted from a cookery book by America's Test Kitchen, entitled "The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook."

 

Yes, you read that right. This recipe is intended for only two people . . .  I think they would have to be two really greedy people however because I think you could easily get 6 delicious slices from it.

 

The cake is moist and so delicious.  Not too sweet and a perfect golden colour.  It uses cake flour, which is not something we can get over here.  I made my own cake flour.  To do that I weighed out the flour, removed a tablespoon and then replaced the tablespoon I removed with 1 tablespoon of cornflour (corn starch). It worked very well.

 

Its a bit of work in that you have to beat one of the egg whites separately with some of the sugar until stiff and glossy.

 

All of the dry ingredients and the remaining sugar get whisked together in a bowl.

 

Melted butter, oil, egg yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla are whisked together and then are beaten into the dry ingredients and then the egg white is folded into that mixture.

 

You will need two six inch round layer cake tins.  When I had divided the batter between the tins and baked the cake (which doesn't take very long) I was a bit surprised as I thought the layers would be quite a bit thicker.

 

But trust me when I say that when you layer them together with that rich frosting they are just thick enough.

  

That frosting  . . .  oh my, my  . . . it is lush and very rich, and beautifully chocolaty and creamy!  Almost like a mousse!

 

It is very rich, which is why  I think that you would get six slices of cake from this instead of four. If you could eat a quarter of this cake in on sitting, I would be amazed!

  

This was just perfect.  Not too big. Not too small.  Just right.

 

Now that I have made one cake, small sized I think I can play with the recipe a bit and adapt it to other flavours, etc.  Watch this space! 

 

I had purchased rather a lot of apples that needed using up and so I thought to make us an apple crumble.  I say us, but really I mean Todd. 

 I hardly ever eat dessert, although I do always taste it.  Quality control, you know how it goes.

This turned out fabulously tasty!  It is also a part of my  commitment to sharing more recipes for smaller families this year.   

If you are not a smaller family, you could certainly double the ingredients for this one, or I do have a full sized crumble recipe here.

 

You will need an 8-inch oven-proof skillet to bake this in, but failing that you can also bake it in a small casserole or loaf tin.  (That's pouring cream on top.)

 

Todd loves custard or cream on his fruit desserts. Really  he loves it on any dessert.

He is a lucky creature in that he seems to be able to eat these things without any problem, whereas  I just have to look at them and I put on ten pounds.

 

That's life and as the old saying goes, Life isn't fair!

Okay, so I do a bit more than look. Sigh ...

 

A simple crumble topping is made using oats, flour, chopped walnuts, brown and white sugars and butter . . . .

 

The fruit filling is a mix of cinnamon sugar coated apple slices sauteed briefly in butter  just until they are tender.  

You top them with the oat mixture and then briefly bake in a hot oven until crisp and golden brown.

 

It is delicious served warm and spooned into bowls along with lashings of cream or custard, or vanilla ice cream, which would be my personal choice.

It’s the Canadian in me. I can’t help it.

 

Tender sweet, buttery Cinnamon apples  . . .  crisp crumbly oat-nutty topping  . . .

 

This really is very good.

 

VERY very good . . .  but don't take my word for it.  Bake it for yourself and see.

  

If you wanted to you could switch out the walnuts for almonds and add some frozen or fresh raspberries to the apples, in which case it would  be a Skillet Apple & Raspberry Almond Crumble.  Delicious either way.

 

Oh but the weather is so dismal and windy and grey here today, this was a real mood lifter for Todd. I hate British winters  . . .  there is nothing redeemable about them.  Sigh  . . . .

 

One of my favourite salads has always been broccoli salad.  It is a salad that I tend to only eat at pot lucks and such because to make a full recipe here at home just has never been practical.

 

 Baked Apples one of the comfort foods we like to enjoy in the Winter months.  Apples are plentiful and at their best. We don't mind having the oven on, and they are delicious and very easy to do.

 

I had recently gotten some fabulous Organic Dried Cranberries and Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks from Buy Wholefoods Online and I felt they would be perfect for using in this simple and easy dessert. If you are not familiar with Buy Whole Foods Online you really need to look them up. I buy all of my dried fruit from them every year for my Christmas Cakes, and other bits and bobs throughout the year. Buy Whole Foods Online is an international health food supplier, based in Minster, Ramsgate, North East Kent. They deliver top quality natural and organic wholefoods, and related healthy living products, directly to homes and businesses across the UK and Europe. I have always been very happy with both their products and their service.

 

Baked apples make for a lovely breakfast treat or a dessert for after your dinner. I think they are very homey and comforting. You can bake just about any apple, but today I chose to use Pink Ladies as that is what I had in the refrigerator.  You will need to core them.

 

I have an apple corer, but today I also wanted to keep the bottoms intact, so I just used it to punch a whole down into the apple almost through to the bottom and then I used a metal 1/4 tsp measure to scoop out the core and enough surrounding apple to give me a one inch cavity down most of the length of the apple.

 

You need plenty of room to hold a cinnamon stick and that buttery cranberry, oat and maple filling! There's a bit of freshly grated nutmeg in there as well. I like to buy my nutmegs whole.  They last forever and freshly grated nutmeg is far superior to the already grated stuff you can buy.  At Buy Wholefoods you can buy anywhere from 125g up to 1 kg.   (It would take you a long time to use the larger amount.)

 

I always cut a really shallow line into the apple all the way around it horizontally.  This helps to prevent the apple from bursting when it is baking.  You will see it when you first take the apple out of the oven, but once the apple settles it disappears pretty much.

  

 You could of  use ground cinnamon but I really like the way that a whole cinnamon stick uses in these.  You don't eat it of course, but it does impart a nice cinnamon flavour to the whole apple and when you are done you can use add it to a saucepan along with some orange peel, whole cloves, star anise and water to make a natural air freshener.  When we had the wood stove I always had a container filled with this simmering on the back of the stove all winter through.  It made the house smell gorgeous and put some moisture into the air at the same time.  Wood fires can be so drying.

 

Isn't that pretty!  You stuff around the cinnamon stick with the oat, maple and cranberry stuffing. It helps to hold the cinnamon stick in place and adds even more lovely flavours to the apples.

 

They bake in a small baking dish along with some boiling water and a bit of Maple Syrup.  This forms a bit of a sauce when all is said and done, which is lovely spooned over the finished apples.

  

Depending on the apples you use it will take anywhere from between 40 minutes to an hour for them to bake to a nice softness  . . . I like them to be just soft enough to easily push the tip of a sharp knife into them.

 

These were done just right in about 45 minutes.  Take them out after about 40 and check them. If you think they are still hard, cover them up and pop them back in for a little bit longer.  Nobody enjoys a hard baked apple.

 

I have given quantities today for only two, but you can of course double or triple the amounts if you want more.

  

These were just perfect with some double cream poured into the bowl with them, but custard or vanilla ice cream would also be nice. In all truth they are also very tasty just on their own.

  

I bet I probably bake apples at least once a week in the Winter months. Todd just loves them and as far as dessert goes, they are not all that unhealthy.  Low in sugar and fat, and high in fibre too! 

 

I got a few other things from Buy Whole Foods.  Organic Barley Flour, (which I am going to make some bread with),Pickling Spice (I am thinking pickled carrots here or red onions.  It is also great with red cabbage), Turmeric Powder (Fabulous to give you brilliant colour in a curry and  also has a great many other health benefits) and Brewers Yeast, which is another great nutritional supplement.  Try it mixed into your hot drinks or smoothies.  It is a great source of chromium which can help control your blood sugar levels. You can also add it to baked goods. 

I really would like to recommend you checking out Buy Wholefoods Online!  They are a wonderful and affordable source for nuts, seeds, fruits, health supplements, herbs, spices, personal care and alternative therapies, speciality foods, Japanese foods, dried vegetables, coconut and a whole lot more!  Their prices are very reasonable and their delivery service impeccable. They have been my go-to for a lot of things over these last few years because I can trust them, and I think you will too!