Full question
I had high hopes for the Apple and Almond Cake as I’ve never been disappointed before with any of Nigellas recipes, but I’m afraid neither I nor my husband liked this cake. The look of it was impressive with a light sponge which cried out to be good. Sadly we found it quite a ‘sticky’ texture which seemed to cling to the inside of your mouth and it was sooooo sharp! The only thing I changed was I used Bramley cooking apples as I find eaters never mush enough. Maybe that gave it the sharp taste but I thought the large amount of sugar would counteract that.
Our answer
Nigella's Apple And Almond Cake (from FEAST) is a moist gluten-free cake that is made with apple puree and ground almonds (almond meal or almond flour). The cake itself is not light and spongy as it does not contain any leavening and it is not made with regular flour. It has much more of a "pudding cake" texture; damp and more dense than a sponge cake.
Bramley apples are much sharper than eating apples, so this could have made the cake taste less sweet. If using Bramleys it may be worth omitting the lemon juice. It is also worth mentioning that Bramley apples break down easily when cooked partly as they have a higher water content than eating apples. It could mean that the apple puree was slightly loose, which could have contributed to the damp texture of the cake. The apple puree should be quite thick and not too wet, so if Bramleys are used it may help to cook the puree until it has reduced and thickened a little.
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