Recipe: Apple Almond Cake

We have somewhat of a different success scale here in the SIL house when it comes to baked goods. You see, every time I bake, it's like an episode of masterchef.

The (wannabe) Foodie Connoisseur

First you have my Dad. Usually he likes everything - but he can tend to be a bit fussy with some things. Dad thinks he's a bit of a foodie connoisseur so he will try and use fancy words to tell you if it's good/bad/needs changing. When he likes something I've made, that's a mental score of one. 

The Memory Keeper

Then you have Jesse, he's quite a bit fussier. Jesse usually has an idea or a memory of what he thinks something should taste like and if it doesn't taste like he thinks it will, it's usually no good. This is why Jesse is so fussy with cheesecake - he only ever had packet artificially cheesecakes so "real" cheesecakes taste totally different. When Jesse likes a new recipe, that's a mental score of two. 

The Sweet Tooth in Denial

Then you have my Mum. She says she doesn't have a sweet tooth - but she's always the one who says baked goods aren't sweet enough. She also has a bit of a prejudice against gluten free baked goods - she'll tell you that she can taste the difference right away - but usually, unless you tell her it's gluten free, she doesn't know. When she's a fan of a new recipe, that's a mental score of three.

The Hardest Critic

Then you have my sister, Katrina - she may just be the fussiest of the bunch (though Mum comes in pretty close). Katrina hates cake, won't eat coconut or anything that remotely resembles the mouth-feel of coconut, oats are out and she generally won't try anything because "packet mixes are better". If Katrina likes something, you start doing a happy dance and get a mental score of four. It's basically the SIL Home equivalent to scoring a home run with a broken leg. 

So you put all of those scores together and if everyone likes it, you get a 10/10 - that's when you know a recipe is ah-maze-ing - and this Apple Almond Cake is one of those recipes!

I thought this Apple Almond Cake was going to be a Kristy recipe - perhaps liked by my Dad but probably not liked by anyone else. I was trying to use up an abundance of apples we had left over from the wedding (totally weird but you'll soon see why we had so many apples) so I thought a cake would be the perfect way. I didn't even think it would be a bloggable recipe.... 

And then I took it out of the oven - and then my mind totally changed. 

First I could smell it - vanilla-y, a little bit buttery (even though it has no butter), sweet and delicious. The whole house had this delicious cake smell and all of a sudden, Katrina caught on. After cooling the cake, I cut it up to photograph it and Katrina was sitting on the other side of the bench watching me. 

"Mmm, mmmmm Kristy.. what is that? It looks really really good. Can I have some or is it just for you?" This was rare - Katrina usually turns her nose up at everything. I headed outside to photograph it, promising her a piece after I was finished.

Once she ate a bite, her face lit up - and when Jesse tried it later that afternoon, he just about did a happy dance - Mum tried it and she never even commented on the fact that it was gluten free, or said that it wasn't sweet enough. 

Then, I knew I was onto a winner.

This is one cake you're going to want to make ASAP. 

Apple Almond Cake - serves 8-10

gluten free, low fat, lower sugar/sugar free, clean eating friendly

2 eggs 

1/4 cup - 1/2 cup coconut sugar (see notes for alternatives) 

1/2 cup low-fat/non-fat plain greek yogurt

2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt 

1 cup GF self raising flour/plain flour/wholewheat flour (see notes)

1/2 cup almond meal 

2 red apples, diced 

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F

Grease and/or line an 8x8 inch baking dish**

In a mixing bowl, mix together your eggs and sugar. Stir in your yogurt and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Add in your baking powder, salt, flour and almond meal and stir until all ingredients are combined. 

Stir in your apples and pour into your baking tin and spread out the mixture evenly. 

Bake for 20-40 minutes, keeping an eye on your cake and taking it out of the oven once it is lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake removes clean. 

Cool before cutting and serving. 

Notes: 

- Change the amount of sugar depending on how sweet you like things. We used just under 1/4 cup and it was perfect!

- If you don't have or like coconut sugar, feel free to use regular sugar (we like this Light Brown Muscovado Unrefined Cane Sugar) or honey/maple syrup/brown rice syrup. 

- When making a gluten free version, I always like to use self raising flour to give a little extra lightness. When making a gluten version you can use plain flour or wholewheat flour - just be sure to not overmix your batter.

- **For the cake will be a lot thicker than what is pictured as I actually used a 12x8inch pan (I was baking two other cakes at the time and that's all I had!) 

- We think it's best chilled, however, eat it however you fancy!

But tell me, who is your fussiest critic when you're making something new?

And do you prefer fruity desserts or rich chocolate desserts?

I think I'm a chocolate girl - but this Apple Almond Cake has me hooked!

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