Apple and Almond Cake
by Nigella. Featured in FEASTIntroduction
It's astonishing how buttery this cake tastes, given that there is not a gram of butter in it. The flour is replaced with ground almonds — and cooked, cooled, pureed fruit provides moistness and flavour.
If you want a smaller cake, simply halve the ingredients and use a 20cm/ 8 inch tin. I don't find it takes appreciably less time to bake.
It's astonishing how buttery this cake tastes, given that there is not a gram of butter in it. The flour is replaced with ground almonds — and cooked, cooled, pureed fruit provides moistness and flavour.
If you want a smaller cake, simply halve the ingredients and use a 20cm/ 8 inch tin. I don't find it takes appreciably less time to bake.
Ingredients
Yields: 12 slices
For the Apple Puree
- 3 tart eating apples (such as Braeburns)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
For the Cake
- 1 splash of vegetable oil to grease tin
- 8 large eggs
- 325 grams ground almonds
- 275 grams caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 50 grams flaked almonds
To Decorate
- 1 teaspoon icing sugar
For the Apple Puree
- 3 tart eating apples (such as Braeburns)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
For the Cake
- 1 splash of vegetable oil to grease tin
- 8 large eggs
- 3¼ cups almond meal
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup sliced almonds
To Decorate
- 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
Method
- Peel, core and chop the apples roughly. Put them in a saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar and bring the pan to a bubble over a medium heat. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes or until you can mash the apple to a rough puree with a wooden spoon or fork. (You should have about 285g / 1 generous cup of puree.) Leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/180ºC/160ºC Fan/350ºF; oil a 25cm / 10 inch springform tin with almond or a flavourless vegetable oil and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Put the cooled puree in the processor with the eggs, ground almonds, caster sugar and 1 tablespoon — or generous squeeze — of lemon juice and blitz to a puree. Pour and scrape, with a rubber spatula for ease, into the prepared tin, sprinkle the flaked almonds on top, and bake for 45 minutes. It's worth checking after 35 minutes, as ovens do vary, and you might well find its cooked earlier — or indeed you may need to give a few minutes longer.
- Put on a wire rack to cool slightly, then spring open. This cake is best served slightly warm, though still good cold.
- As you bring it to the table, push a teaspoon of icing sugar through a fine sieve to give a light dusting.
- Peel, core and chop the apples roughly. Put them in a saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar and bring the pan to a bubble over a medium heat. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes or until you can mash the apple to a rough puree with a wooden spoon or fork. (You should have about 285g / 1 generous cup of puree.) Leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/180ºC/160ºC Fan/350ºF; oil a 25cm / 10 inch springform tin with almond or a flavourless vegetable oil and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Put the cooled puree in the processor with the eggs, almond meal, granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon — or generous squeeze — of lemon juice and blitz to a puree. Pour and scrape, with a rubber spatula for ease, into the prepared tin, sprinkle the sliced almonds on top, and bake for 45 minutes. It's worth checking after 35 minutes, as ovens do vary, and you might well find its cooked earlier — or indeed you may need to give a few minutes longer.
- Put on a wire rack to cool slightly, then spring open. This cake is best served slightly warm, though still good cold.
- As you bring it to the table, push a teaspoon of confectioners' sugar through a fine sieve to give a light dusting.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
This cake is best when freshly made and still warm. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates keep the cake in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about an hour before serving to let the cake come up to room temperature.
To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap, cover loosely and thaw overnight in the fridge and remove about an hour before serving, to let the cake come to room temperature
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
This cake is best when freshly made and still warm. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates keep the cake in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about an hour before serving to let the cake come up to room temperature.
To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap, cover loosely and thaw overnight in the fridge and remove about an hour before serving, to let the cake come to room temperature
Tell us what you think
Thank you {% member.data['first-name'] %}.
Explore more recipesYour comment has been submitted.
What 23 Others have said
-
Posted by NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe on 12th December 2024
-
Posted by Dirigeree on 16th July 2022
-
Posted by Lucas1951 on 3rd April 2021
-
Posted by Debbienix on 31st March 2021
-
Posted by lbcain on 27th March 2021
-
Posted by TinaKalayil on 9th August 2020
-
Posted by Arvona on 8th April 2020
-
Posted by Anne48 on 3rd November 2019
-
Posted by Deenz on 3rd May 2019
-
Posted by Joseevt47 on 22nd April 2019
-
Posted by rosefox on 21st September 2017
-
Posted by Richiau on 13th August 2017
Show more commentsLovely cake - used home grown apples which are quite sweet - so cut down the sugar. Went down a storm at an event I catered for...
This would have to be my most favourite cake ever. I did not change a thing. (I never do if following a recipe for the first time). The result was a soft, light, almost firm soufflé like texture. An amazing rich but delicate flavour which had me sighing with every bite. The instructions are so easy to follow as is the making. I will make it again many times.
Just made it for the first time! Yummy
Absolutely delicious
I made this last year for Passover and doing it again today! Delicious and easy which are perfect for a busy holiday.
I just love this cake. I made only half the portion, with 4 eggs, since I have a small family. The recipe worked still fine.
This is one of my all-time favorite Nigella recipes. I like to eat this cake warm with a cup of milky tea. It is so comforting on a cold winter night. I find the recipe perfect and would not change a thing.
I've baked this a few times, the first time following the original recipe then afterwards using only 190g of sugar and 6 eggs (maintaining the original quantity of almonds). It's still deliciously moist and sweet enough for my fairly sweet tooth. I also add a drop of rum or calvados to the mixture.
I added 1/4 tsp baking powder but I don’t think it was needed. Very moist and yummy cake. But the key is to whizz the ingredients in the blender as per the instructions...don’t miss that step!
I made this in two separate 8 inches cake tins, then created a filling with leftover lemon curd, mascarpone and whipped cream. Sprinkled powdered sugar on top. This has become one of my favorite cakes!
This works very well halved and baked in a nine-inch springform. I added a teaspoon of vanilla. It's a great way to use up overripe mushy pears. A toothpick will lie to you about whether it's done, as will the touch-test because it's so dense; leave it in longer than you think you need to and take it out when the top is golden brown. Toast up slices of it for crunchy edges to contrast with the fudgy texture.
I needed a gluten free Victoria sponge recipe for my daughter's second birthday. I made this recipe without the flaked almonds on top - also folding in the separated egg whites whisked, as others have suggested - and then once cooled cut in half to fill with whipped cream and jam, and topped with whipped cream and strawberries. It was delicious. So light and fresh, tall and stable, no sinking in the middle and everyone loved it. Better than the original Victoria sponge I think. One change would be to bake it in two sandwich tins not one big tin, as it creates such a volume of cake it got quite dark on the outside by the time it was cooked in the middle.