Irish Apple Cake
Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this delicious apple cake is sure to be a new favorite.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 apples, cored, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon each vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, apples, nuts, and vanilla and stir well. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake set in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Brown Butter Baked Apples with Hazelnuts
Sweet orchard apples are filled with toasted Northwest hazelnuts, brown sugar, and warm cinnamon, then baked until tender and fragrant for a warm and cozy dessert.
Ingredients:
4 medium baking apples
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup apple cider or water
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish or another small baking dish that will hold the apples snugly. Using an apple corer or small paring knife, remove the cores from the apples, leaving the bottoms intact to hold the filling. Widen each opening slightly to create room for the hazelnut mixture. Place the apples upright in the prepared baking dish.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown, about 3–5 minutes. Remove from the heat as soon as it smells nutty and fragrant. Stir in the vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the toasted hazelnuts, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Pour in 3 tablespoons of the browned butter, including the flavorful browned bits, and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened.
4. Fill the apples: Spoon the hazelnut mixture into the hollowed apples, packing it gently and mounding a little filling on top. Drizzle the remaining browned butter over the apples. Dot the tops with the remaining tablespoon of regular butter.
5. Pour the apple cider or water into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15–25 minutes, until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife but still hold their shape. Let the apples rest for 5 minutes. Spoon some of the warm pan juices over each apple and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Ricotta Apple Cake
Fresh ricotta adds a light, airy touch to this classic Italian apple cake.
Ingredients:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1¼ cup flour
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 sweet apples, such as Macintosh, Candy Crisp or Liberty, peeled and grated
Confectioner’s sugar for serving
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter and flour a 9 or 10-inch spring form pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy. On the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add the flour, salt, ricotta, lemon zest, baking powder and apple.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and cool completely on the rack. Sift powder sugar over top and serve with more freshly-sliced apples.
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Strawberries
This rustic cake has a slightly-crunchy texture courtesy of polenta and is beautifully flavored by olive oil.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder lemon olive oil cake mix
½ cup olive oil
1 cup milk or buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
¾ cup crème fraîche or whipped cream
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or cast iron skillet with 2-inch sides with some of the olive oil.
2. Whisk together milk or buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel, vanilla, and olive oil. Pour the cake mix into this milk mixture and fold together with a spatula until just combined; do not over-mix. Scrape batter into greased pan and spread evenly.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan. Immediately run a knife around edge of cake, and turn cake out onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to cool before cutting.
4. To serve, slice cake into wedges and top with sliced strawberries and a generous dollop of crème fraîche or whipped cream.
For optional cake glaze: Combine ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, adding more lemon juice if needed. Drop by spoonfuls over cake after it has been placed on cooling rack, spreading within half an inch of the cake’s sides.
Lemon-Olive Oil Polenta Cake
This rustic cake has a slightly-crunchy texture courtesy of polenta and is beautifully flavored by olive oil.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder lemon olive oil cake mix
½ cup olive oil
1 cup milk or buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup crème fraîche or whipped cream
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or cast iron skillet with 2-inch sides with some of the olive oil.
2. Whisk together milk or buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel, vanilla, and olive oil. Pour the cake mix into this milk mixture and fold together with a spatula until just combined; do not over-mix. Scrape batter into greased pan and spread evenly.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan. Immediately run a knife around edge of cake, and turn cake out onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to cool before cutting.
4. To serve, slice cake into wedges and top with your choice of fresh berries and a generous dollop of crème fraîche.
For optional cake glaze: Combine ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, adding more lemon juice if needed. Drop by spoonfuls over cake after it has been placed on cooling rack, spreading within half an inch of the cake’s sides.
F&L Apple Cake
Moist and incredibly flavorful, this apple cake comes together in just minutes!
Ingredients:
F&L apple cake mix
2 eggs
2 apples, cored and diced
Toasted walnuts and cranberries
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and diced apples with the toasted walnuts and cranberries from this week’s delivery, and stir well to combine.
2. Pour batter into a greased cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.
Baked Cinnamon Apples
A truly homey dessert, packed with our signature sweet filling.
Ingredients:
4 baking apples, such as Lady Alice
Farm & Larder baked apple filling
2½ tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup rum or brandy
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Core the apples using a sharp paring knife or melon baller, scooping out some of the flesh, but leaving the apples whole and intact. Make a slit around the middle of each apple.
3. Place Farm & Larder filling in a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Drizzle the remaining butter in a small baking dish. Place the apples in the dish. Stuff the hollows with the filling mixture, packing densely. Pour the rum or brandy over the apples.
4. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake the apples for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and spoon some of the pan juices over the apples. Bake, uncovered, until the apples are cooked through, about 30 minutes longer. Whisk the cream with a fork until lightly thickened, drizzle over apples, and serve.
Baked Apples
A true classic, this beautiful dessert is lovely topped with crème fraîche.
Ingredients:
4 sweet-tart orchard apples
½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup boiling water
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Rinse and dry the apples. Using a sharp paring knife or apple corer, cut out the cores, leaving the bottom ½-inch of the apples intact. (If using a paring knife, first cut out the stem area and then use a small metal spoon to scoop out the seeds). Cut the holes so that they are an inch or so wide.
2. Place the apples in a baking dish and stuff each apple with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle each with cinnamon.
3. Pour the boiling water into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the apples are cooked through and tender, but not overcooked and mushy. When done, remove the apples from the oven and baste them with the juices from the pan. Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche.