Spiced Toffee Apple Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Start by making the cakes. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 2 x 18cm springform cake tins with baking parchment and brush with a little oil. Put the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk with electric beaters until glossy and pale. Keep the beaters running as you pour in the oil.
• Stir in the grated apple, then fold in all the other cake ingredients. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• While the cakes cook, prepare the apple filling. Tip the lemon juice into a large bowl and fill halfway with cold water. Peel the apples, then cut into spheres using a melon baller - pop them in the bowl of lemon water as you go to stop them discolouring. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, golden syrup, cinnamon and 200ml water, and heat until boiling. Take the apple balls out of the water and put them in the pan -if you want to make the tiny toffee apples for the top, keep 8 apple balls in the water until needed. Bring the mixture in the pan back to the boil for 8 - 10 mins or until the apples are soft but not losing their shape, and a thick syrup starts to form. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely, then chill until needed.
• Stir all the syrup ingredients together in a bowl. When the cakes are cooked, keep them in the tin but prick holes all over the surface with a skewer and drizzle the syrup over. Leave the cakes to cool completely in the tin.
• While the cakes cool, make the icing. In a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the butter and white chocolate together. Once melted and glossy, pour into a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, whisk until smooth, then add the vanilla. Finally, fold in the yogurt. When the mixture is cool, chill until needed.
• To assemble the cake, take the cooled sponges out of their tins and put one of them on a cake stand. Top with half the white chocolate icing - use a spoon or pipe it using a very large round nozzle. Scatter the cooked apple pieces, along with a drizzle of the syrup, over the icing, then place in the fridge to firm up for 15 mins. Add the top layer of the cake, then decorate with the rest of the icing by piping it in lots of regular little mounds all over the top using a large round nozzle. Put the whole cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.
• For a showstopping, but optional, finish, make some beautiful miniature toffee apples. Their effect is stunning but fleeting, so make them just before serving your cake, as the caramel will dissolve quickly due to the moisture in the air. Brush a baking tray with a little vegetable oil and set aside. Very thoroughly dry the reserved apple balls from step 3 of the cake with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel and insert a long wooden skewer into each one.
• Put the caster sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar melts. Keep cooking until the sugar has become a liquid golden caramel, then remove from the heat. If it looks like it's getting too hot, sit the base of the pan in a heatproof dish of cold water.
• Tilt the pan and, working quickly (as the sugar will continue to cook), hold the apple balls by the skewer and dip each one in turn into the caramel and twist it around to coat it. It's really important that the apple balls are well dried and that you don't turn them in the hot caramel more than twice, otherwise the apple will cook and release liquid, which will stop the caramel from sticking. As soon as they are coated, slowly lift them out vertically. Hold the apple up out of the pan and pause before transferring it to the oiled tray on its side. Holding it up like this will allow a long drip of caramel to set hard and create a beautiful long spike. Repeat the process with the rest of the apples, working quickly so that the caramel doesn't harden completely before all the apples have been coated. However, don't worry too much as you can always gently reheat it over a low heat before continuing - just be careful not to burn it, otherwise it will taste bitter.
• After a couple of minutes, the apples should have set. When they are cool enough to handle, pull out the skewers. Place the apples on top of the cake so that the spike is pointing upwards and the base of the apple (where the skewer was) is pressed into the icing. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the crumb topping: Put the flour, brown sugar, apple pie spice and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter and mix thoroughly with your fingers or a fork until all of the butter has been evenly distributed and incorporated into the flour. Form into small to medium clumps with your fingers.
• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan.
• Whisk together the flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat together the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just incorporated.
• Spoon half of the cake batter (it will be very thick) into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Dollop the apple butter on top and carefully smooth with the spatula. Spoon the remaining cake batter on top and smooth the top. Sprinkle on the crumb topping.
• Bake until the cake and topping are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate; invert back onto a rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter the inside of an 8-inch glass baking pan.
• Mix flour, brown sugar, oil, white sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt, and ginger together in a large bowl. Transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture into a second bowl for the crumble topping; stir in remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
• Whisk baking powder and baking soda into the flour mixture.
• Beat buttermilk and egg together in a measuring cup to combine. Pour into the large bowl of flour mixture; add apples. Stir until just blended and no pockets of flour remain. Pour mixture into the prepared pan; cover with the crumble topping.
• Bake in the preheated oven until apples are tender and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, 40 to 50 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment. Put the dates and milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 mins to cool.
• Whizz the date mixture to a smooth purée in a food processor or blender, then scrape into a large mixing bowl. Tip in the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, mixed spice and vanilla, and set aside while you prepare the apples.
• Quarter and core the apples, then slice quite thinly, tossing in a little lemon juice as you go. Quickly beat together the cake ingredients with an electric whisk until smooth, then scrape into the baking tray. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in rows, on top of the cake - you should be able to get 3 rows lengthways down the tray. Bake for 45-50 mins until a skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tray.
• Put the toffees in a small pan with a good splash of milk and gently melt, stirring, until runny. To finish, dust with a little icing sugar, then drizzle sauce all over the cake. Cut into squares or slices to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan. Sprinkle sugar in the pan to coat. Whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl.
• Beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla with the last egg. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Spread into prepared pan.
• Top the cake with the sliced apples, arranged in an overlapping spiral pattern. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and butter with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.