Recipe: Melt in your mouth
I’ve made this Dorset Apple Tart with Hazelnut & Salted Caramel in a lovely rectangular loose-based tin but it will be perfect in a traditional round tin. Dorset apple cake is easy to make and doesn’t require a mixer. Here the addition of salted caramel is travelling completely away from tradition but adds a little interest. I’ve also enriched the batter slightly with a little ground almond. It’s a lovely homely cake and suits a morning coffee, or evening time dessert. Serve with cream or ice cream and some extra salted caramel to drizzle over the top.
I like to line the tart with pastry as it makes it really nice for cutting and adds a bite. This will make a bit more than you need.
300g flour
150g butter
60g sugar
6 g salt
2 free range eggs
- Mix flour, sugar and butter to crumb, add in the eggs and salt and mix lightly
- Turn onto board and work enough to bring together.
- Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or so.
- Grease the flan ring.
- Roll out the pastry approx. 1½ in larger than the flan ring.
- Carefully place the pastry on the flan ring. Push well into the corners.
- Chill until ready to fill.
amel
125gr sugar
25gr water
80ml cream — warmed
5gr maldon sea salt, (optional)
- Cook 125gr of sugar and the water to caramel.
- Cooking the sugar to caramel.
- Be very careful, as caramel burns are very serious.
- Get ready a small bowl of ice water and a clean pastry brush.
- Put the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan, (choose a pan slightly larger than you think you need and ideally with high sides) and cook over a gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Turn up the heat the syrup will begin to boil rapidly.
- Sugar crystals may form at the side of the pan, brush these down carefully with the ice-cold water and a pastry brush, be very care full doing this to ensure the sugar does not splatter.
- When the sugar begins to caramelise swirl the pan gently to disperse the heat.
- When you tilt the pan the liquid should be a rich caramel colour, be brave enough to cook it to quiet a deep colour, (if you smell burn you need to start again), once your caramel is cooked remove from the heat.
- Carefully add the warmed cream and cook for a minute or two more stirring well to remove any lumps.
- Cool the caramel until required. Add sea salt
120 to 275 g cooking apples, such as Bramley
112g butter (room temperature), plus extra for greasing
Slight squeeze of half a lemon
70gr salted caramel.
112g light muscovado sugar
150g self-raising flour
25g ground clmond
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 tbsp full-fat or semi-skimmed milk
30gr toasted lightly broked hazelnuts.
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC
- Peel, quarter, core, and thinly slice the apples, and put them in a shallow dish.
- Pour over the lemon juice toss gently together.
- Put the soft butter, muscovado sugar, flour,ground almond, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the eggs, half the hazelnuts and the milk in a large bowl.
- Beat thoroughly using an electric hand whisk for about two minutes (or use a wooden spoon for about three minutes) until smooth and light.
- Spread half the mixture into the prepared tin.
- Arrange half the apples over the top of the mixture, drizzle with all the salted caramel,then repeat the layers.
- Spreading the batter carefully so as the layers can be seen once cooked.
- Gently press the top layer of apples into the mixture.
- Sprinkle over the demerara sugar, remaining cinnamon and hazelnuts.
- Bake for 40 to minutes to one hour, or until well risen and golden brown on top. The cake will feel spongy but firm.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, cream, or even crème fraiche, and a drizzle of salted caramel.
If you would like to contact Mercy Fenton email info@wickeddesserts.ie
