In my quest to transform the humble loaf cake, I have tried to pair some interesting and not-so-conventional flavours in a gorgeous loaf-cake batter.
Here, I have made an apple-pie filling with Granny Smith apples, a separate vanilla custard from scratch and an out-of-the-box vanilla pound cake made with vegetable oil. Yep, the oil here doesn’t add much taste, but that’s fine since the apples and custard are serious flavour components.
I loved the outcome of this delicious cake. It didn’t last very long, however, if it were to be stored, I recommend placing it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days. The texture will harden, so ensure it comes to room temperature before serving.
Serves: 8 generous slices
Prep time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cup plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup whole milk
For the apple-pie filling:
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp chopped walnuts
- pinch of salt
For the vanilla custard:
- 150mL whole milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 35g caster sugar
- 25g cornflour
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 15g unsalted butter
Method:
- The custard needs to cool and set, so it needs to be prepared ahead of time. In a saucepan, heat 100mL milk until boiling.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg yolk, remaining milk, sugar, cornflour, vanilla and butter.
- Add the boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
- Pour the mix back onto the heat and keep mixing until thickened. Place a sheet of baking paper, touching the top of the custard, and transfer to the fridge until set.
- To make the apple filling, peel and core the apple. Cut into bite-sized cubes.
- In a saucepan, add all remaining ingredients except for the walnuts. Cook for a few minutes, or until the apple has softened but still has bite, then increase the heat and let caramelise. Add the walnuts and leave to cool.
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 160°C. Line a large loaf tin with oil and baking paper.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add the oil a little a time until thick and combined.
- Add the baking powder and salt into the flour, then add the dry mixture into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk.
- Continue mixing until everything is combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon half the batter into the tin, top with the custard and apple, add the remaining batter and bake for 25–28 min. When you poke a toothpick into the centre, it won’t come out clean, as there is custard, but there shouldn’t be any cake batter on it.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
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