Toffee Apple Upside-Down Cake: a Simple but Effective Technique

Although November is technically winter here in Ireland, I understand that over the rest of the northern hemisphere it's usually considered the last month of autumn. Whenever we think of autumn, we always think of apples, and by extension, toffee apples. I've always had a fraught relationship with toffee apples: I love the idea, and they are wonderfully visually appealing, but never actually like eating a toffee apple. They're sticky, and inevitably the apple is powdery and manky.

As such, each year I try to make something toffee apple inspired that isn't a toffee apple. This year, I had a nice handful of Pink Ladies and Granny Smiths, and decided to do something nice and traditional, and kinda retro: an upside-down cake.

This is more of a technique than it is a recipe: all you need for this is toffee sauce, apples, and some sponge cake mixture. You can make your own, or use a boxed mix. It really doesn't matter

I used some toffee sauce, one red and one green apple, halved, cored, and cut into thin slices, and some Victoria sponge cake mixture made with 2 eggs and brown sugar instead of caster sugar. I poured the toffee sauce into the bottom of a greased 8 inch (20 centimetre) deep round tin, arranged the apple slices on the bottom to make a nice pattern, and then spooned the cake mixture in on top. I then cooked the entire confection for about 45 minutes in a preheated 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4) oven. I then allowed it to cool slightly before turning out onto a plate and serving warm with custard.

I hope you give this classic technique a try for a truly delicious autumnal treat!

No More Soggy Bottom Pies! Part 1: Blind Baked Bottom

It's apple harvesting season! Right up into October, people will be venturing outside to choose the nicest apples of their trees, or just going to the shop to reap the fruits of somebody else's labour, for cooking, making into jam, or simply eating out of hand.

But one of the best fates I believe an apple can have is ending up in a nice apple pie, made with delicious buttery pastry! There's nothing better than rolling out the pastry, loving chopping up the apples and sugaring them up, popping it into the oven, and smelling the delicious, cinnamony goodness waft around the house as it bakes... you open the oven, take out the pie, cut a lovely slice out and--

The bottom is a soggy, mushy, mess. It breaks your heart.

However! This doesn't have to be your pie! There are a few ways to avoid a soggy bottom, and over the next few days, I'll be sharing the benefit of my knowledge with you, starting right now with my most recent adventure: a blind baked bottom crust.

Simple bake the bottom crust separately before assembly, and you'll have gorgeous, crispy crust all the way through!

Pros of Blind Baked Bottom: no soggy bottom, repeatable every time, bottom can be baked in advance and frozen for another time

Cons of Blind Baked Bottom: a little more time consuming, a little fiddly, and you run the risk of an undercooked filling.

~~ ^ _ ^ ~~

DIFFICULTY

Requires experience with baking shortcrust pastry

TIME

About 2 hours

RECIPE RATING

Intermediate

~~ ^ _ ^ ~~

INGREDIMENTS

Makes one 9 inch (22 centimetre) round pie

About 1 pound (455 grammes) shortcrust pastry, premade or shop-bought

1½ pounds (680 grammes) of Granny Smith or Bramley apples, peeled and halved

4 ounces (115 grammes) light brown sugar

Zest of a lemon

Juice of half a lemon

4 tablespoons (60 millilitres) cornflour

1 ounce (30 grammes) butter, soft

2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) ground cloves

¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) grated nutmeg

Eggwash, for assembly, or use flour and milk

Demerara (Turbinado) sugar, for assembly

~~ ^ _ ^ ~~

CONTAINS

Gluten if using shop-bought pastry, eggs, dairy, refined sugar, pectin from apples

~~ ^ _ ^ ~~

METHOD

First, make the bottom crust

• Take roughly two-thirds of the pastry and roll out on a floured surface to quarter of an inch (5 millimetres) in thickness. 
• Using the rolling pin to support the dough, lift it up and drape into a 9 inch (22 centimetre) pie dish, pressing down gently into the dish. Trim the excess, and then chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
• After chilling, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4). Take the pie dough out of the oven, line tightly with tin foil, fill with a layer of dried beans or rice, and blind bake on the centre shelf for about 20 to 25 minutes. You want it cooked all the way through and dry to the touch, but not browned.
• Once cooked, allow to cool slightly, but leave the oven on for the next step.

Then, finish off the pie

• Slice the peeled, halved, and cored apples into quarter inch (5 millimetre) slices, and mix in a mixing bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients.
• Roll the remaining dough out to the same thickness as the base to make the lid. If you want to make a decorative lid, cut the pastry as you need to.
• Brush the baked crust liberally with eggwash, or you can mix some flour into a slurry with milk or water and use that instead, add in the filling, and drape over the lid.
• Firmly press the lid onto the edge of the base crust, then trim off the excess. If your lid is whole and uncut, cut at least one slash in the top to allow for steam. Eggwash the top, or brush with milk, and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
• Return to the centre shelf of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving hot, or allow to cool completely for serving cold.

STORAGE

These will keep in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge.

Simple Danish Pastries (Wheat- and Yeast Free)

Kan du lide at wienerbrød? Continuing with my Central European vibe this week, I present the Danish Pastry!

These crispy treats are known as wienerbrød in their native land. It literally means 'Vienna bread', because all of the yeast risen laminated pastries we know and love, such as croissants and Danish pastries, were originally developed in Austria.

I, however, don't use a yeast risen puff pastry, I just use normal puff pastry. I tend to make my own, which is time consuming, but it means my mother can eat them when they're made from scratch with spelt. If you want the pastry to taste yeasty, however, you can bind the dough with beer instead of water. It's a neat trick.

Danish pastries look a little different in the United States, using fresh berries and sweetened cream cheese fillings. British style Danish pastries, which I'm used to, use more traditional fillings like jam, apple, apricot, and baker's custard, called crème pâtissière.

My pastries didn't rise as much as I'd have liked, because the pastry was warm before cooking, so PLEASE make sure the pastries are nice and cold before baking.

And don't be intimidated by the ingredient list, not by the seemingly complex construction: they're very, very simple, especially if you use shop bought ingredients.

This will be my last entry for this month, because my thesis proposal is due this week. Wish me luck!

INGREDIMENTS
For about 12 pastries, depending on size

• Double quantity of puff pastry, alternatively you can buy a pound (455 grammes) of premade puff pastry
• 1 egg, mixed with a tablespoon of milk
• Flaked almonds, to decorate
• Demerara sugar, to decorate

For the gluten free crème pâtissière,

• 6 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) whole milk
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) cornflour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon (15 grammes) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• About a teaspoon (5 grammes) butter
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

For the apple filling,

• 1 eating apple, something firm and tart like a Granny Smith, or Pink Lady, or you could use 4 ounces (115 grammes) of any other firm fruit, or berry
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) cornflour
• 2 tablespoons (30 grammes) brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) ground cloves

Other fillings,

• Brown sugar and cinnamon
• Nutella
• Jam
• Tinned apricots or plums
• Dried mixed fruit

HOW-TO

To make crème pâtissière,

• In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornflour, egg yolk, salt, and two tablespoons (30 millilitres) of the measured milk to make a smooth paste.
• Add the rest of the milk, stir well, and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil, mixing all the time, and boil for about 2 minutes to fully activate the starch.
• Remove from the heat and pour immediately into a bowl. Cover with clingfilm, touching the surface directly, and cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.

To make the apple filling

• Peel, core, and chop the apple into half inch (1 centimetre) pieces. Place in a bowl or jug, and add the other ingredients.
• Mix very well until the mixture becomes wet and saucy: the starch will draw the water out of the apple and mix it with the other ingredients.

To make the pastries,

• Prepare the pastry, which will take about two or three hours.
• Roll the pastry out to a rectangle measuring 12 by 16 inches (30.5 by 40.5 centimetres), cut into twelve 4 inch (10 centimetre) squares.
• Use each square to make a pastry following the instructions: braids, windmills, turnovers, or crowns. You can use the fillings as instructed above, or you can use shop bought fillings.
• To make the spirals, you need a 4 by 8 inch (10 by 20 centimetre) rectangle, so just keep two squares stuck together for the spirals. Follow the illustration below to make the spirals.
• Lie the pastries on the baking sheets, about two inches (5 centimetres) apart, brush the tops with eggwash, and decorate with flaked almonds or Demerara sugar if you like.
• Place the pastries into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before cooking. While they're chilling, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mk.7), and flour two large flat trays.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer gently to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. The apple ones are nice warm, though.

HOW TO MAKE THE SHAPES

Spiral

Take the 4 by 8 inch (10 by 20 centimetre) piece of pastry, and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar, brushing it around with your hand to get it all to stick. Sprinkle generously also with ground cinnamon, Rolling from the short end, roll it up like a Swiss roll. Wrap up in cling film, and then chill for 30 minutes before cutting into half inch (1 centimetre) slices. Brush each slice with egg wash if you like.

Apple Turnover

Take a square, and place about a rounded teaspoon of apple filling in the centre. Imagine the square cut in half diagonally, and brush the edges of one diagonal side with eggwash to help stick. Fold over diagonally, and press the edges together firmly with a fork. Brush the top with eggwash and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.

Braid

Take a square, and visualise it divide into three. Cut the outer two thirds with slightly angled lines, and fill the centre third with whichever filling you like. Working top to bottom, alternately fold the pastry strips over the filling in the middle. Slightly pinch the open ends to close them up.

Windmills (Pinwheels)

Take a square, and cut diagonally into quarters, making sure not to cut all the way though the middle. Fill the centre part that isn't cut, and then take a corner of one pastry flap and fold it up into the middle, over the filling. Work around the pastry until all flaps have the same corner folded into the middle.

Crown

This is the easiest one. Take a square, and fold each corner down into the middle, but not all the way. Place the filling on in the centre, on top of the folded corners.

These are best enjoyed on the day they're made, but if you have any left overs keep in an airtight container for 3 days. These can freeze for up to a month, too.

Nothing on this day in 2016
THIS TIME IN 2015: Tiramisù Mini Cheesecakes (Wheat Free)
Nothing on this day in 2014
THIS TIME IN 2013: Dinosaur Kimberleys (Wheat Free)

Halloween 2016: Toffee Apple Doughnuts (Wheat Free)

It's October! Or as I like to call it: Halloween advent. And here's a sticky treat: toffee apple doughnuts!

Since I discovered my inner darkness in my teen years, and also as a result of Mum and Dad making it into a fun event in the year, I've always been fond of Halloween. I like the early dark evenings, the turf fire on at night, and the get-togethers involving food and party games.

Moving into adulthood, unfortunately, Halloween parties become drinking fests, and I find myself yearning for the simpler childhood events that involved wearing a black bin liner (which could make you anything you ever wanted) and eating sweets until I was sick.

One of the sweets that rarely--if ever--graced the Halloween spread in our house was toffee apples. Apple made an appearance in the form of bobbing for them in a mixing bowl full of water, but they never appeared covered in toffee. And in a way that's a good thing, because generally speaking when kids eat them you end up with a house full of skinned, mauled apples with all the toffee eaten off.

As I got older, I experimented with toffee apples and I actually like them, but it's important to use very small, tart apples, which are hard to find. I used to use Pink Ladies, because they're slightly sour and very firm fleshed, but spending ages hovering over the loose apples looking for the smallest ones is time not worth spending.

I experimented with toffee dipping slices of apple, but the surface of the slices was too juicy and the toffee would either run off as I was applying, or melt off over the course of the day, leaving a sticky toffee puddle under the apple slice. Apple slices dip very well in chocolate, however.

So, I decided to try and do something to capture the essence of a toffee apple, but be a small treat that isn't overwhelmingly and insurmountably sickly. And who doesn't like doughnuts?

A little cake doughnut filled with stewed apple and wrapped in a creamy toffee layer provides that instant sugar hit and autumnal feel that you'd get with a toffee apple, but without it eating it being a monstrous task.

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Nuts

CONTAINS
☒ Eggs
☒ Dairy
☒ Gluten
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS

For about 16 mini filled doughnuts

• 1 pound (455 grammes) doughnut dough (use your favourite recipe, or use this recipe)
• 1 firm eating apple, like a Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Gala
• Two pinches ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon cornflour

For the crunchy toffee coating

• 6 ounces caster sugar
• 3 ounces golden syrup
• 3 ounces evaporated milk, or cream
• 16 wooden lolly sticks

HOW-TO

First, make the apple filling,

• Peel and core the apple, and cut into half inch (1 centimetre) cubes. Put into a small saucepan with all the ingredients except the cornflour. Bring to the boil, then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the apple is tender.
• Put the cornflour in a small cup, and add a tablespoon of water. Mix into a slurry, then pour into the saucepan slowly, stirring all the time. Cook until the sauce goes back to being transparent, and it has thickened.
• Once fully cooked, set aside until completely cool; about an hour.

Then, make the doughnuts,

• Preheat the cooking oil to 180°C (350°F), either in a deep fryer or a heavy saucepan.
• Roll out the doughnut dough to a quarter inch (5 millimetre) thickness. Cut into as many 3 inch circles as you can, and make pairs of circles. Put half a teaspoon of the apple filling on one circle, brush another circle with water, and make a sandwich. Press the edges together very well, then cut into a 2 inch (5 centimetre) circle, keeping the jam in the centre. This will keep them well sealed. 
• Repeat until you have run out of circles, then gently mash together and re-roll the trimmings, Continue until you have used all the dough.
• Cook the doughnuts in the oil, about 3 at a time so as not to overcrowd the fryer. Cook for about 2 or 3 minutes on either side, until golden brown and puffed. Drain on kitchen towel then allow to cool on a wire rack.

Finally, make the toffee and assemble,

• Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper, or a silicone liner.
• In a medium saucepan, combine all the toffee ingredients and melt together slowly over low heat, until every sugar grain has dissolved.
• Increase the heat to medium, and cook at a slow boil for about 10 minutes. If you have a sugar thermometre, it should read between 146 and 154°C (295 to 309 °F). If using the cold water test, a small drop in a glass of ice-cold water should snap cleanly.
• Immediately remove from the heat, and place on a folded tea towel to protect the work surface. Take a lolly stick, dip the very tip in the toffee, and stick it into a doughnut. Then dip the doughnut into the toffee, twirling it to cover it completely in toffee. Tap gently on the edge of the saucepan to drip off the excess, then place it on the tray, holding it for a few seconds untilit can stand upright by itself.
• Repeat this process with the remaining toffee and doughnuts. If the toffee starts to set, put it over a low heat until it goes runny again.
• If you have any toffee left over, you can pour it out on another baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper, or a silicone cake tin.

This is a tasty alternative to a full toffee apple, and they have a lovely fluffy doughnut added to boot. This should be a delicious treat for Halloween, or indeed Bonfire Night on November 5th.

Mini Apple Pies (Wheat Free with Dairy Free Option)

Apologies for the lack of updates last week. My life is a mess at the moment: I never know where I'm going to be or when I'm going to be there, and have a terrible time remembering what the Hell I'm supposed to be doing when I get there... if this is the life of a young professional then I firmly believe I have made a terrible decision.

However! Here is my most recent creation: little apple pies!

I had a few apples in my fruit bowl, languishing, not really fresh enough for eating out of hand anymore. So, I turned them into a nice compote, and put them into tasty, crispy, flaky pastry. I thought of making some puff pastry, but life got in the way.

The recipe was very simple: I cut up 2 firm fleshed apples and 1 soft fleshed apple into little pieces, about a quarter inch (5 millilitres) across. Firm fleshed apples in this case could be Bramley, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady; soft fleshed apples could be Braeburn, McIntosh, or Discovery. Keep the pieces in a bowl of water with a dash of lemon juice while cutting to stop them from browning.

Melt about 1 ounce (30 grammes) of butter or margarine in a saucepan, and then cook the apples on medium until the firm apple pieces have softened and the soft apple pieces have started to break down. Add in brown or white (or both) sugar to taste; I added about 3 tablespoons (45 millilitres). Add about half a teaspoon (3 millilitres) of mixed spice, and top up with enough cold water to nearly over the apples. Cook on low, uncovered, for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples are fully tender and the mixture is like jam. Leave to cool.

To make the pastry, mix 8 ounces (225 grammes) of white spelt flour with 4 ounces (115 grammes) of melted butter or margarine until blended and a little sandy. Add enough water to make a soft dough, without handling too much. Roll out thinly, and cut into rectangles that are about 4 by 6 inches (10 by 15 centimetres). Wet the edges of one side of each rectangle, put in about a heaped teaspoon of filling, then fold over. Crimp with the tines of a fork, then use scissors to snip in the 'V' shaped vents. You should get about 12 pies.

Line on a lightly greased baking sheet, and brush with milk or eggwash, and sprinkle with caster sugar. Cook in the oven, preheated to 200ºC (400ºF, Gas Mk.6) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. These can be eaten after about 5 minutes of cooling, and are also lovely if eaten cold. They will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

THIS TIME IN 2014: No blog this time last year

THIS TIME IN 2013: Variations on a Theme: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wheat-Free Autumn Apple Crumble

Here in Ireland we've been having a massive late summer/early autumn heatwave, and every day this September has been in excess of 20 degrees Celcius outside, whih is not what I expect for autumn; in fact, I'm disappointed in autumn this year. For me, it has always been a month of hearty, warming comfort food, but the weather outside is just too darn hot for heavy food.

My solution: eat the same old comfort food, but make them a little lighter; same autumnal flavours, but without the heaviness.

Here is one of those recipes: a nice autumnal spiced apple crumble, made with a granola style crust. 

This recipe has been made a little less rich than is traditional by adding a nice dose of lemon juice to the apple mixture, and by using oil instead of butter. Oddly enough, despite using autumnal flavours, it has quite a summery feel to it.

I also really like the little oven dish I bought from my local Dealz (PoundLand) for a quid-fifty. It's about 4 by 7 inches (10 by 17 centimeters) which is just the right size to serve two or three people with this crumble. The recipe amounts are to fit a dish of this size, but obviously you can increase it if you want to fill a larger dish.

FREE FROM
☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Nuts
☑ Dairy

☑ Eggs
☑ Cocoa

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten (oats and spelt)
☒ Refined sugar products

 INGREDIMENTS

For the apple filling:

• 2 large sharp firm apples, for example Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jazz, Braeburn etc.
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) raisins or sultanas
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) golden syrup
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) ground ginger
• Pinch of ground cloves

For the crumble topping:

• 3 ounces (85 grammes) rolled oats
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) wholegrain spelt flour
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) brown sugar
• 1½ fluid ounces (45 millilitres) sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) water
• Pinch of salt

HOW-TO

• Preheat your oven to 200°C (4000°F, Gas Mk.6, or hot).
• Prepare the filling by cutting the apples. To do this, cut each apple into quarters then cut out the core on each quarter; thinly slice each quarter. You can peel the apples if you like, but I prefer leaving the skins on.
• Place the apple slices into a bowl and sprinkle over the salt and golden syrup. Mix well. As you mix, the salt will pull the juice from the apples and the mixture will thin out. Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into your chosen dish.
• Prepare the crumble by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl until it is fully combined, making a loose but moist mixture. Sprinkle over the filling spread out evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and golden brown.
• Serve hot with cream, custard, yogurt, or ice cream.

As well as being a nice dessert, I discovered (merely out of laziness) that this also makes a very nice breakfast when eaten with thick Greek yogurt. Obviously, it's not an every day breakfast, but does well as an occasional treat. Also, instead of apples one could use peaches, pears, or nectarines.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR: There was no recipe.