Stretching the blog’s rules again, I’m recording this brilliant recipe because it’s hard to believe it is completely vegan. It comes from Meera Sodha’s column in the Guardian’s Saturday food supplement Feast, and I’ve made it three times this year – every time to astonished acclaim from family, friends and colleagues. It has enough apple in it to be potentially good for you, a crunchy brown sugar top and soft, puddingy insides.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
For the apples
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes (175g prepared weight)
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
40g soft brown sugar
For the cake batter
200g self-raising flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
160g soft brown sugar
120ml olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
100ml non-dairy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the top of the cake
2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
Method
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and line a 20cm springform round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
In a medium bowl, mix the apple cubes with the cinnamon and brown sugar, and set aside.
Measure all the dry ingredients for the batter into a large bowl, stir to combine, then pour in the wet ingredients and beat until you have a smooth batter. Tip in the cubed apples and their sugary, cinnamony juices, stir to combine, then scrape the batter into the lined tin.
Fan the sliced apples in a circle to cover the top of the cake, sprinkle over the remaining soft brown sugar, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the cake has risen, the apples on top are golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.
Years of Practice 