Raw 'Apple Crumble'

I find apples on their own can be a little boring. This morning I decided to make the humble apple a little more exciting. This recipe looks more like an apple salad, though the flavours combine to taste a lot more like apple crumble, though much healthier.

Raw 'Apple Crumble'
Serves 1

1 apple cubed
Honey
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of oats
1 Tablespoon of 'crunchy bits' (I added a mix of pepitas and sunflower seeds)

Dice/cube the apple and add to a small bowl.
Drizzle as much honey as desired over the apple.
Sprinkle the cinnamon, oats and crunchy bits over the top and serve.

Optional: Garnish with a sprinkling of rosemary flowers.

I find that this recipe is best eaten just after assembling as the honey remains sticky. If you wait a while the honey tends to dissolve into the apple and you lose that nice texture.

Weekend sunshine and brulee loaf

I made this loaf several weekends ago and we were lucky enough to enjoy it with a slice of sunshine. The loaf was moist, with apple, bran and olive oil, though what really made it was the crust!!! Before baking, the loaf had a sprinkling of oats, raw sugar, and the bran that was left over after sifting the wholemeal flour. Once the loaf is ready this little sprinkling turns into a crunchy crust; almost like breaking into the top of a creme brulee.

I'll post the recipe as soon as I find where I left it.

Happy Friday xx

Save me from winter cake....

Winter has not been fun for us this week. Freezing temperatures and plenty of rain.

So after much complaining and a bit too much chai' I decided to change my attitude. And how do you do that? You bake a cake.

There's a quote floating around somewhere that says if you can't change something change your attitude towards it. So I decided that taking inspiration from winter might prove a little more productive. When I think of winter I think of chai lattes, honey and milk, and trees overflowing with citrus.  So alas a cake was born!

This cake is scrumptiously moist with a perfect crumb. It's not overly sweet which is a nice change. It's perfect with a cup of tea and almost makes you feel warm inside with hugs of chai, honey and orange. Just right :)

Chai, Honey & Orange Cake
Adapted from Janene Brooks' Earl Grey Tea Cakes- Good Taste, September 2000. The original recipe can be found here.

2 chai tea bags
60mL (1/4 cup) boiling water
80mL (1/3 cup) milk, warm
100g olive oil spread, room temperature (alternatively you could use butter)
2 eggs
1/2 cup raw sugar
190g (1 1/4 cup) wholemeal self-raising flour
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
zest 1 small orange

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a cake tin.
Cut open the tea bags and empty the leaves into a small bowl/mug. Add the boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk.
Add the spread, eggs, sugar, honey, zest and flour to the tea mixture.
Using an electric beater, mix on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy. Don't worry if the mixture appears slightly curdled.
Pour the mixture into your lined tin.
Bake for 25-30minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow the cake to rest in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Serving suggestion: I made some candied oranges as a decorative garnish, and the added syrup was a delicious bonus atop a warm cake.

I hope this cake is a rescue remedy for you too.
Enjoy x