"This cake is dense and sweet, with tartness and an unexpected bite from the apple sauce, while the olive oil makes it moist and fragrant," says Nadiya. "The cake is not only vegan, it’s also gluten-free – but most of all, it’s delicious."
Serves 4 | Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the cake:
180ml extra-virgin olive oil
220g caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
180g chunky apple sauce
200g ground almonds, sifted
200g gluten-free plain flour, sifted
For the syrup:
250ml apple juice
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
For the olive oil icing:
80ml extra-virgin olive oil
80g icing sugar, sifted
Method
- Start by lining and greasing a 20cm deep cake tin and preheating the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.
- Pour the oil and sugar into a bowl and whisk together for 2 minutes till the mixture is combined and pale. Put the baking powder and apple sauce into a smaller bowl and mix together. Add to the oil-sugar mix and whizz together till well combined.
- Now add the ground almonds and plain flour, then fold through till everything is well combined. You should have a dense, grainy batter. Spoon into the lined cake tin, smooth with the back of a spoon and bake for 30 minutes.
- Make the syrup by putting the apple juice and sugar into a pan. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for 10 minutes, till reduced by half. Take off the heat, add the mixed spice and stir through.
- After 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/ fan 160°C and pop a sheet of foil on top of the cake tin to stop the top from browning too much. Bake for another 25 minutes.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes into it and pour the syrup mixture all over. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
- Meanwhile, make the icing by putting the oil and icing sugar in a jug and blitzing until thick and well combined (or blend with a stick blender).
- As soon as the cake is cooled, remove it from the tin, add the icing right on top and it’s ready to eat. This will keep in the fridge for 4 days.
Nadiya’s Fast Flavours by Nadiya Hussain (Michael Joseph, £22) is out now.
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