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sticky spiked double-apple cake with a brown sugar brandy sauce

sticky spiked double-apple cake with a brown sugar brandy sauce

i bought regan daley's "in the sweet kitchen" after i saw it mentioned on j's gorgeous blog. it has been sitting around like a doorstop (although not literally being one--that honour goes to this one), until this weekend, when i had an unsated sugar craving and a bowlful of fruit ignoring me as much as i was ignoring it. half the book is a comprehensive reference tome, detailing the what, how, and why of baking, which should make for interesting reading on a commuter train (and, at 704 pages, and more than a couple of pounds, a decent weapon). i'm not being facetious when i say interesting because the other half with recipes definitely is--i was expecting to find rather austere and proper pastry, but instead found wholly adult yet gleefully decadent desserts as caramelized banana tart with a lime linzer crust and a warm caramel sauce, lemon anise churros, and candied ginger with white chocolate shortbread. while i am secretly looking forward to farrell's opening up again, sometimes i need something sweet that doesn't incorporate multicoloured sugar sprinkles and um, banjoes.

i picked daley's sticky spiked double-apple cake with a brown sugar brandy sauce, because i've always loved spicy, apple-y cakes and have always been disappointed by them, so i wanted to see if this cake, which uses nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and both dried and fresh tart apples, would pass muster. it did. it uses so much fruit that the batter barely clings to it, and the brandy-soaked raisins adds that extra touch that keeps the cake from seeming like the saddest thing in your lunchbox, or the "creative" bit o' fiber on your hospital bedtray. it is both tender and chewy, which seems improbable, but there you go. i also absolutely love that she recommends this boozy, sugary cake as a breakfast item and that it serves 10 to 12 people--or two, if you give them a couple of days. judging from how very little of it is left, she's right on the money.

16 comments:

This cake actually reminds me that Christmas is coming - spice and all things nice! And that plate is very groovy too :)

hi stormiii--it definitely has an autumnal flavour to it, really gets you in the holiday spirit! i love the plate. i'm a little bored with trying to showcase the food in my photos by using neutral plates, so i'm busting out all the funky pieces :)

That is just too fantastic looking, Santos. I love that it uses both dried and fresh apples! I hope I get around to trying it before Christmas....

That is just too fantastic looking, Santos. I love that it uses both dried and fresh apples! I hope I get around to trying it before Christmas....

nice writing
greetz from holland.
www.20six.nl/spion

now that's my kind of fruit cake! Jocelyn's been tempting me to buy all sorts of books too (I think I've shown great restraint, though, and only purchased one).

hi nic! it's very christmassy, so i hope you can try it before then. it's a nice alternative to candied fruit variety fruitcakes.

hello anon! thank you for dropping by--i hope to hear from you again.

hi cathy! i think more people would like fruitcake if involved less candied fruit and more booze. i think people in the uk love fruitcake because they soak the darn things in liquor for months at a time.

what book did you buy?

Hi Santos,

WOW! That looks/sounds so delicious. I don't know that I could take the brandy in the sauce, but I would definitely try.

Stay tuned to my blog because as soon as Farrell's opens, I'm going to attempt eating a whole zoo sundae by myself. I think it has 36 scoops of ice cream in it! LOL!

Hi Santos,

I just came across your blog and have enjoyed reading some of your posts. The pictures are great! I grew up on Guam, but left after high school. The last time I was there was in 2001. I sure do miss the local food.

hi reid! the sauce is totally optional, the cake is great without it. however, the sauce has far less brandy in it than the cake itself. i made a more kid-friendly version of this by replacing the brandy with apple juice and a bit of vanilla, and it was just as nice.

i want to go to farrell's with you! but i can't see you returning too soon after eating a whole zoo sundae...yike! will they have emt or richard simmons standing by to help you after you're done? ;)

hi jane! thanks for stopping by, and come back to guam for a visit! :D

hi santos,

i just wanted to wish you a happy thanksgiving to the best food blogger i read!!

keep up the great work!

i am thankful that i get to read your blog and play part in your cooking. makes me feel like i am part of the action.

kudos,
alice

Hi Santos - just stopping by to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!

(I bought the Dorie Greenspan book - Paris Sweets. Those little "Fondants aux Pommes" that Jocelyn made were irresistable!)

hi santos, funny you should mention - i rushed out for both roast chicken & other stories, and dough, as soon as i read about them here! thinking to myself "good enough for santos, certainly more than good enough for me..." hmm, i could get used to this mutually reinforced cookbook buying business ;)

hello alice! you are very sweet, thank you so much. i love that you used a bit of the lyrics of my favourite pink floyd song on your new blog and i'm looking forward to future posts.

hi cathy! i hope you had a happy thanksgiving. i love those pommey cakes she made as well,i love the japanese gingham-y paper!

hi j! it's rather nice to see what other people are reading and cooking from, isn't it? it's so much more convincing to see "real life" examples of recipes than just what the shills are pushing. i'm afraid, however, of being even more overrun by cookbooks, just from what i see on your blog alone!

The link for cipe is gone -- can you send the resipe PLEEEASE? Thanks so much from another corner of the world -- Crimea

The link is gone -- PLEASE share the recipe? chossid@gmail.com in Crimea.