IRISH APPLE CAKE WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

Irish Apple Cake With Toffee Sauce image

This is a luscious cake I've used from an Irish cookbook I have. This recipe is from Jeanne & Paul Rankin, Belfast chefs. This reminds me of a delightful treat that may be found in a Bed & Breakfast or at a special brunch. I did not have the 'hard' Irish Cider, so substituted Apple Juice, but I'm sure Irish fermented Cider would really be nice. There are 3 steps; roasting apples, making the cake, and preparing the toffee sauce.

Provided by DiLo4602

Categories Dessert

Time 2h20m

Yield 8-10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

8 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered
2 lemons, juice of
2/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream (needing 12-24 hours, see end of recipe) or 1/2 cup creme fraiche (needing 12-24 hours, see end of recipe)
1/4 cup apple cider or 1/4 cup juice
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Steps:

For the Roasted Apples, preheat oven to 375 and butter a large casserole dish. Cut the apple quarters into 2 - 3 wedges each and place them in the dish. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and sugar and dot with butter. Bake, turning frequently 15 - 20 minutes or until apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, drain juices off and cool. Keep oven on to maintain temperature.
For the Cake, butter a springform pan (9 - 10 ") and sprinkle the bottom with almonds.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.
With a wooden spoon, fold in dry ingredients, vanilla, sour cream (or creme fraiche - see below) and cider.
To arrange the Cake, starting in the centre, decoratively arrange half the apples in prepared pan. Roughly chop remaning apples and stir into cake batter. Pour batter into pan and bake 70 - 80 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove cake and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Release sides of pan, invert to a cake plate and remove the base.
Toffee Sauce; In a medium saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil. stir in lemon juice. Cook 10 - 15 minutes or until it starts turning a light caramel colour. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream.
To Serve, cut cake into slices and drizzle with the toffee sauce.
NOTE: To make Creme Fraiche in advance of this recipe, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 Tbsp buttermilk in a glass jar. Stir to blend, cover and let stand at room temperature for 12 - 24 hours or until thickened.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 723.5, Fat 34.3, SaturatedFat 18.9, Cholesterol 162, Sodium 224, Carbohydrate 101.5, Fiber 5, Sugar 75.7, Protein 7.7