Sicilian Apple Cake

This apple cake is one of those "wow" cakes. I actually feel like a fraud when people are so impressed, because really its so easy. The hardest bit is peeling and slicing the apples. You can serve it cold or warm with cream, and it freezes well. I often make it in a square tin and cut it into small squares and individually wrap pieces to put in the freezer for an after dinner treat. When l make it for the cafe ( usually  1 a day ) l use a 23cm round tin and dust around the outside with icing sugar. Dont discount this cake, it is truly a winner.

Sicilian Apple Cake Recipe

50 gms walnuts toasted
120 gms melted butter
4 apples peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon zest and juice
150 gms plain flour
1 1/2 teas baking powder
3 eggs
250 gms sugar
1 teas vanilla
100mls milk
1/4 cup sultanas
1/8 cup pinenuts
1 tab brown sugar
1 teas cinnamon
Line 23 cm round tin with baking paper. Pour a little of the melted butter into base of tin and sprinkle toasted
walnuts in. Put sliced apples into bowl with lemon. In seperate bowl whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Sift in flour and baking powder, mix then add milk and remaining butter.
Pour 1/2 batter over nuts and then arrange 1/2 apples on top and sprinkle 1/2 sultanas. Pour remainder of batter on top of apples and  then arrange remainder of apples and sultanas. Sprinkle over pinenuts, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Bake in oven 170o for 1- 1/4 hours. Cool in tin and when cool turn out and dust with icing sugar.

Cooking Pear and Date slice while Prevelly burns

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Finally summer is giving me persistent glimpses of why we endured months and months and never ending months of those cold fronts we were warned about. The jumpers, coats and uggies have been put back under the bed, the fire is only lit to cook our homemade pizzas in, or Tims favourite, deliciously tender lamb steaks or a slab of steak. Now our time off is once again spent fishing until dark or hitting the beach for a swim and snorkel. Yeah. Of course there is no real rest for the wicked and with Margaret River being such a huge holiday destination, my work has also increased with plenty of weddings and generally more people around. I have also taken on the job of cooking cakes for our local cafe, all of which l do in the caravan. At this stage l should make mention of "The Fire". I'm sure you all heard about the Margaret River bush fires. It actually never made the town of Margaret River. It started from a controlled burn the DEC had been doing around Prevelly, which got out of control on one of those truly horrible days where the wind howled a hot northerly blast. That fatal Wednesday l was home in the van (in Prevelly), cooking cakes and Tim was at work at the golf club. I started seeing flames up on the ridge behind us at about midday and was more concerned because on my reckoning this must have been pretty close to Tims work. When l rang him he was oblivious to what was going on and thought that it was probably just the controlled burning. I on the other hand was not convinced. Anyway the long and short of it is we spent the day up on surfers point after having been told to get out but the road is blocked. So basically we were trapped on the point watching Prevelly burn and also another front coming towards us from the other direction. We were finally escorted along the main road to Margaret River through the flames to safety. It was 3 days before we found out whether or not the caravan park had burned or not. Thankfully we had pulled the van out with us and the cake l had in the oven at the time of evacuation, was only a little scorched. This was gratefully devoured at the evacuation center. The cake was a pear and date slice which is one of the cafes favourite, so here is the recipe.Oh by the way, the caravan park escaped the fire (unlike the rest of Prevelly) and we are back in our little spot and so happy to be here.

Pear and Date Slice
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup boiling water
2 teas bi carb
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups plain flour
 1 egg
 1/4 teas salt
 3 pears
Oven 150o
Pour boiling water in with dates and bi carb and stand 15 mins.
cream butter and sugar add egg and beat until light and fluffy.
add flour and salt and mix then add dates with water and chopped pears .
Pour into greased and lined square cake tin and cook approx. 30- 35 mins until firm to the touch.
Prepare topping
Place 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup butter and 1/4 cup milk into saucepan and stir until it comes to a rolling boil. remove from stove and add 1 3/4 cups shredded coconut, stir. Spread onto cake and return to oven for 10 mins. Allow to cool in tin.