Spiced apple cake
How do you make spiced apple cake even better? Top it with a bitter-sweet black treacle icing. Serve slices with a brew for an afternoon pick-me-up
Melt the butter in a medium pan over a medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally for 5-6 mins until it turns brown and smells nutty. Remove from the heat, cool a little, and mix in the treacle. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Tip the sugar, almonds, flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl, and mix together using a whisk, making sure there are no lumps or pieces sticking together.
Slowly whisk in the egg whites until you have a smooth batter. Whisk the butter and treacle mixture into the batter, a little at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Scrape the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Chill for at least 1 hr or overnight until cold.
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 12-hole rectangular silicone mold, or use an eight-hole muffin tin. Evenly pipe the mixture into the holes, so they’re roughly three-quarters full, and season each with a few flakes of sea salt. Bake for 10-12 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 2 mins before turning out. Sift over some icing sugar and serve immediately.