• 150ml buttermilk (regular milk will do if you wish)
• 250g brown sugar ( you can use a mix of sugars if you prefer)
• 3500g plain flour
• 1 tsp bread soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch salt
• 3 cooking apples, grated
• 50g chopped nuts of choice – walnuts, pecan, hazelnuts & almonds all work well
• 500g cream cheese, room temp
• 250g icing sugar, sieved
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ lemon, juice & zest
Equipment needed:
• Small saucepan
• 3 large mixing bowls
• 8/10inch round springform cake tin or muffin tray
• Electric/manual whisk
• Sieve
• Few spatulas
• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Bread knife
• Box grater
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Melt your butter in a saucepot over a medium heat.
2. Let it keep melting and begin to foam, you want the foam to rise up. Once it begins to change to a golden brown colour, turn off the heat and allow to cool
3. In a large bowl, whisk your eggs a little with a fork and add your buttermilk, then add in the 250g of brown sugar before adding the cooled melted butter mix., mix well.
4. In another large bowl, sieve the flour, bread soda, baking powder, 2 tsps cardamom, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger and a pinch of salt.
5. Pour in the wet mixture over the mixed dry ingredients. Mix it all in gently until combined. Add in the grated apple and nuts fold again.
6. Line a deep 8-10” round tin with grease proof paper on the base or a muffin tin with muffin cases if using. Butter it all heavily! Pour your batter into the greased tin.
7. Bake in the oven for 45-55mins for cake or 15 -20mins for muffine, depending on the size of your tin, you will see the edges are coming away from the tin and the top is golden brown. Insert a thin skewer, it should come away clean.
8. Once out of the oven, allow to rest and cool in tin for a further 20 mins. I try not to slice my cake until it is fully cooled but if you are in a hurry try cooling it down fast outside.
9. Remove from tin and allow to cool a little further on a wire rack. Make the icing by beating (I like to use an electric whisk, adding the sugar slowly) the cream cheese, sieved icing sugar, cinnamon ½ the lemon juice, all the lemon zest & vanilla extract.
10. Divide the icing in half. Generously spread it over the top of the cooled cake as you like, some people decorate with lines from a fork. To garnish, sprinkle chopped nuts, dried flowers and drizzle some honey.
