Cut-and-Come-Again Cake: Part 1 - Apple and Sultana Cake

Nigel Slater, food writer extraordinaire, writes about how his kitchen feels incomplete without a 'cut-and-come-again cake' ready and waiting for visitors. It's a concept I wholeheartedly agree with!

I would hate not to be able to offer freshly baked cake/bread/biscuits to people with a cup of tea/wine when they come a-calling.

My easiest option here is always my fail safe lemon sponge (I say mine - it's a recipe I got years ago. I still have the piece of paper it's written down on and every year it seems to gather more spots of dried on cake batter!). I've written about this cake before on feedahappylife and it's well worth a try.

For fear of friends boredom at rolling this out again and my own desire to experiment, I've been testing out new cake recipes on visitors to the new home of feedahappylife. My next few posts will focus on my own versions of these cut-and-come-again cakes.

This one is a boozy concoction of apple and cognac soaked sultanas (the final taste of alcohol is actually quite mild). The mix creates a firm but moist cake. Good for slicing into thick, welcoming wedges.

Apple and Cognac Soaked Sultana Cake

Ingredients

• 300g apples (grated)
• 1/2 lemon (juiced & zested)
• 100g butter
• 150g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 185g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 50g chopped walnuts
• 40g sultanas (boiled in 35ml cognac and left to cool)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180c/GM 4 and butter/line a small cake tin (15 - 20cm)

Step 2: Mix the grated apples with the lemon juice and zest. Stir in the sultanas and cognac

Step 3: Cream butter and sugar until light and gradually beat in the egg and vanilla until combined and smooth.

Step 4: Add all dry ingredients and stir to combine

Step 5: Pour into tin and bake for 40 minutes, then turn temperature down to 150c/GM 2 for another 20 minutes

Step 6: Cool in the tin before slicing and serving with a drizzle of cream and a giant spoon!

Enjoy!
Helen x

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Apple, Thyme & Marzipan Tart (heaven and easy!!!)

I can't claim that this was a carefully thought-out creation, it was actually a random mix resulting from my 'moving-house-soon' cupboard and freezer leftovers. The apple and thyme work really well together though and the marzipan adds a lovely sweetness to the whole thing. So it has been a successful experiment.

I've made this twice now in the space of a week and it will definitely become one of my dessert standbys. I always have the ingredients stashed away, so if you drop in for dinner in the new house of feedahappy life soon, this might be served!!

The tart is really simple to make. You can prepare, bake and have it on the table in 25 minutes.

I've made mine as individual tarts, but I quite like the idea of making a giant one and bringing it out to the middle of the table either sliced into generous portions or letting guests attack at will!! Competitive dessert eating may not bring out the best qualities of your friends though!!

On the marzipan front, I had a block in the cupboard, which I rolled to the required shape for this, Ready rolled marzipan will make this easier though, particularly if you're making one large one.

Apple, Thyme and Marzipan Tart (serves 6)

• 3 medium-sized, sweet apples (I used Pink Ladies), sliced thinly
• Block of marzipan
• Sheet of ready rolled puff-pastry
• handful of thyme sprigs
• 2 tbsp apricot jam (optional)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180c

Step 2: Roll out pastry and placed on lightly greased baking sheet

Step 3: Cut into required portions (one sheet should make 6 rectangular tarts)

Step 4: Roll out your marzipan to fit inside the filo rectangles (leaving a 1cm gap between the pastry and marzipan edge)

Step 5: Lay the sliced apples on top of each other to cover the marzipan. Melt the jam in the microwave for 1 minute and brush over the apples (this acts as a glaze)

Step 6: Sprinkle over the thyme leaves

Step 7: Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden

Step 8: Serve warm with cream

Hope you enjoy,
Helen x

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