★ COVER RECIPE
Baked apple & chocolate cake
SERVES 10-12
2 apples
150g (5½oz) butter 1 tbsp icing sugar a pinch of ground cinnamon
150g (5½oz) almond paste; or marzipan
50g (1¾oz) caster sugar
3 free-range eggs
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa 2 tbsp rum
To decorate
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate; minimum
62% cocoa
500g (1lb 1oz) double cream
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
3 baby apples
50g (1¾oz) hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
1 Line the base of two 18cm (7in) springform cake tins with baking paper.
2 Peel, quarter and core the apples and cut into wedges. Melt 25g (1oz) butter in a frying pan and briefly fry the apple wedges on both sides. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon, cook until lightly caramelised, then remove from the heat.
3 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Cut the almond paste into small pieces and beat with the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat the mixture until fluffy. Mix the flour with the baking powder and cocoa, sift onto the cake mixture and fold in along with the rum.
4 Pour the batter into the two tins. Arrange the apples on top (leaving the edges clear) and press gently into the batter. Bake the cakes for about 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly, then remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
5 Chop the chocolate. Bring 125g (4½oz) cream just to the boil, then pour over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Leave to cool until lukewarm.
6 Cut each cake in half horizontally. Whip the remaining cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread just under a quarter of the cream on one cake layer, stack a second cake on top and repeat until all the cakes are used. Spread the remaining cream around the sides. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile, half-dip each apple into the chocolate icing, allow to drip off briefly and
