Toasted Milk, Honey and Thyme Apple Cake

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 250 g butter (For the sponge)
• 220 g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla (For the sponge)
• 180 g whole milk
• 40 g skimmed milk powder (Toasted in a dry pan)
• 3 apples (Medium; peeled and chopped for the filling)
• 40 g butter (For cooking the apples)
• 60 g honey (The ingredient list gives 60 g; the method refers to 50 g)
• 25 g brown sugar (Listed for the apple filling but not mentioned in the method)
• 3 fresh thyme (Sprigs, for the apple filling)
• 1 tsp vanilla (For the apple filling)
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon (For the apple filling)
• salt (A pinch, for the apple filling)
• 1 tsp lemon juice (Or a squeeze, for the apples)
• 60 g honey (For the thyme syrup)
• 40 ml water (For the thyme syrup)
• 6 fresh thyme (5–6 sprigs, for the syrup)
• 500 g mascarpone (For the vanilla mascarpone cream)
• 500 ml double cream (For the vanilla mascarpone cream)
• 100 g icing sugar (For the vanilla mascarpone cream)
• 2 tsp vanilla (The ingredient list gives 2 tsp; the method refers to 1 tsp)
• apples (Thinly sliced, for finishing)
• fresh thyme (For finishing)
• honey (For drizzling, or use leftover honey-thyme syrup)

Steps

1. 1

   Toast the skimmed milk powder in a dry pan over low heat until it is slightly browned, golden, and smells nutty. Watch it closely because it can burn quickly.

2. 2

   Cream the butter and caster sugar together.

3. 3

   Beat in the eggs and vanilla for the sponge.

4. 4

   Fold in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and toasted milk powder, alternating the dry ingredients with the whole milk.

5. 5

   Divide the batter between two lined 18 cm cake tins.

6. 6

   Bake at 170°C fan for 25–30 minutes. Check at 25 minutes; if the cakes are not completely cooked, return them to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

7. 7

   Leave the sponge cakes to cool completely before dividing each one into two layers, creating four equal cakes.

8. 8

   Peel and dice the apples for the filling.

9. 9

   Cook the apples over low to medium heat in a pan with the butter, honey, thyme sprigs, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. The source's ingredient list also includes brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon for the filling.

10. 10

    Cook the apples for around 5–10 minutes, checking at 5 minutes and again at 8 minutes. Stop when they are soft, glossy, and still have a slight bite rather than becoming mushy.

11. 11

    Simmer the honey, water, and thyme sprigs for around 3–5 minutes to make the syrup.

12. 12

    Leave the syrup to infuse, then remove the thyme before soaking the sponge. For a more intense flavor, the source says the syrup may infuse for 1 hour or overnight.

13. 13

    Whip the double cream, mascarpone, icing sugar, and vanilla until thick. Lightly whisk and do not overmix, or the cream may curdle.

14. 14

    Place one sponge layer on a serving plate and soak it with some thyme syrup.

15. 15

    Spread over some vanilla mascarpone cream and add some of the honeyed apples.

16. 16

    Repeat with the remaining sponge layers, syrup, vanilla cream, and honeyed apples. Reserve enough cream to cover the cake.

17. 17

    Finish by covering the cake with the remaining vanilla mascarpone cream.

18. 18

    Decorate with thinly sliced apples, fresh thyme, and a drizzle of honey, or any leftover honey-thyme syrup.

19. 19

    Place the assembled cake in the refrigerator before serving.

Notes

The source contains quantity discrepancies: the apple-filling ingredient list gives 60 g honey while its method says 50 g; the cream ingredient list gives 2 tsp vanilla while its method says 1 tsp. Brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon are listed for the apple filling but are not included in the detailed cooking sentence. The source does not specify the refrigerator chilling duration.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• baked
• autumn
• vegetarian
• contains-dairy
• contains-eggs