The other day, while I was avidly reading Erika Janik’s “Apple: A Global History” I have decided to do a little research about the history of apple dishes. Of course apple pies and tarts are the most famous of all.
The book is really amazing. I have found out that apples originally came from Kazakhistan and its wild apple gardens; the seeds of these apples were the ancestors of modern day apples. With a little digging up I came up with the recipe of the first apple pie, from 14th century.
The crust of the pie was then called “coffyn” and was not meant to be eaten, its sole purpose was to keep the pie together. Sugar was not used because it was very rare and expensive back then. The instructions are in Old English (please see below) and quite simple too : “Take good apples and good spices and figs and pears and grapes. Color with saffron, pour in the crust and bake well.”
I thought about store bought small apple tarts, the chemicals, glucose syrup and artificial food in them and smiled grimly. I once never even bothered to take a look at the ingredients and popped them in my mouth. Then I have decided to make something tasty and healthy with apples.
And I fell in love with these..
I didn’t even know how it would turn out. Cookies ? Cakes ? Then they came out, warm and fudgy and even a hint of donut-y.
These turned out to be one of my best. Bade and I kept on making strange noises while eating. I hope you like them as much as we do!
Grain free Warm Apple Fudge Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook Time: 20-25 min
Serves: 8 large cakes
Instructions:
1 medium red apple (200 gr)
1,5 tbspn (11-12 gr) cinnamon
1 cup (80 gr) almond meal
12 dates (12 x 8 gr)
¾ cup (60 gr) walnut kernels
1 small egg white (30 gr)
Instructions:
1-Soak and pit the dates, set aside.
2-Peel and grate the apples, add cinnamon and a few tablespoons water if necessary and cook until soft in low heat. Cool.
3-Set the oven to 150C.
4-Place all except apples in your food processor. Pulse until a sticky dough forms. Add cooked apples and stir in with a spoon.
5-Place a parchment sheet in your baking pan. With the help of a scoop, place the cake dough pieces with 2 cm gaps between them.
6-Bake for 20-25 min, serve warm.
