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Apple cider cake - old school house café - Young NSW

26/8/2013

 
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Every so often you find a treasure of a place where you feel so contended and relaxed, that you can gladly spend a morning or afternoon simply basking in the atmosphere and offerings. The old school house café in the New South Wales country town of Young is just that kind of place, and I'm delighted to tell you about it (and share the recipe for one of the most popular cakes on the menu) with you.

We're spending time in Young for the Hilltops Wine Dinner weekend and have just visited the Lambing Flat Folk Museum, when I notice a blackboard advertising the old school house café, which is tucked in behind the museum. Despite the sunshine, it's chilly and I've fantasising about a mug of hot chocolate all morning. Ducks on the fence quack a welcome greeting our way and, as we approach the verandah, I'm taken with the flourishing bed of lavender and topiary shrubs of rosemary in pots at the steps. Owner, Sally Carson, is bent over pruning the roses and, with secateurs and gloves in hand, she bids us a friendly hello with a wide smile.

'Come in, you're just in time for some freshly baked apple cider cake,' she says. Peter's eyes light up instantly, and the aroma of apples and caramel inside the café is mouthwatering. The old school room is bathed in warmth and the charming interior is somehow made more delicious by the sultry sound of Ella Fitzgerald coming from the back room.

The café is part of the old Young Primary School, which was built around 1883. The blackboard on the main wall behind the counter is original and there are vintage school desks, some of which look familiar to Peter and myself. Gee, now that's telling our age, isn't it! Certainly, the wood framed slates on each table brought back memories from my own childhood. 'We used the same little slates when I started kindergarten in the early 1960s,' I say. Sally is surprised to hear this and says hers came from France. 

Chatting as she prepares our 'real' hot chocolate, Sally tells us a bit about her background. She grew up in Melbourne and her mother is June Drijver, a name that will be familiar to Canberrans. For many years, June owned the FLAIR gift shop in Manuka. 'I originally came to Young and helped out on a horse stud and then my parents came across from Canberra to see the new foals. They saw an empty shop in Boorowa Street and had some stock left from closing the FLAIR. They planned to just do a short term lease through to Christmas and ended up staying for ten years! Meanwhile, I worked in Sydney while my kids finished school. I was the NSW State Manager for Space Furniture and then when the GFC hit I came back to Young and worked with Mum for a year. I started the café with my business partner, Jan Simmons, who is local born and bred. I had worked with Jan in the Wool Room in Young,' Sally explained.

I asked Sally what she enjoys about life in Young. 'It's a town big enough to have practically all we need, but also the arts are alive and well. For instance, the community choirs are of a very high standard, similarly amateur theatre and dance and music. We have a community run radio station, a movie theatre. and some resident and visiting art teachers; as well as dressage, tennis, croquet, golf, rugby and bowls. So there's heaps to get involved with,' Sally says. 'On the other side of the equation, Young is small enough for you to get to know lots of people easily and I have found it to be a very caring community. Lambing Flat Enterprises is a wonderful organisation which provides employment opportunities for disabled members of the community, therefore those people don't slip through the cracks like they might in a big city. The cafe is a great spot to give joy and relaxation to locals and visitors who are looking for a short break from their daily toil or travels. And I love catching up with the regular clients and meeting new people from all over the world, literally!', she adds.

A few more customers wander in and the atmosphere at the café is so convivial, we can't help but relax and enjoy the time here. 'It's like that, people come with their library books and sit for hours,' Sally, says when Peter and I pay her a compliment on the venue. And then she emerges again from the kitchen with the pièce de résistance, apple cider cake, and we are served warm slices topped with cream. 'You won't like this cake at all,' Peter says with a grin after taking a bite. It's a standing joke between us, meaning that if I don't like my serving then he gets to eat it! I nibble a morsel from the end of my fork and respond with a playful 'Um, yes I will!' Despite breaking the diet both we're on, neither of us feels an ounce of guilt, for the cake is absolutely scrumptious!

'I love catching up with clients and meeting new people from all over the world...'

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We come back the next morning for a long-overdue coffee catch up with the lovely Lyndey Milan, and then stay on for a leisurely breakfast after Lyndey's departure to Sydney. To our delight, Adriana Brankovic, owner of Adriana's B&B arrives and announces she is cooking for us. Peter and I stayed with Adriana and her husband, Milan, during our Cherry Festival adventure in December 2012. Adriana has a gentle nature and kindly personality and, like Sally, is a talented cook, so we're looking forward to talking with them both. Before long, the four of us are drinking coffee and nattering about food and cooking. And then the subject turns to match-making alpacas...  that is, mating Sally's female, named Hot Gossip, with Adriana's boys, Max or Fernando. There's much laughter as we wonder how on earth we ventured onto that topic.

The old school house café is the type of place Peter and I would love to own and run in retirement, if we could be bothered with all that goes with owning a small business these days. But then, what for! Once we give up work we can always travel to Young for coffee, cake and a chat with new and old friends, no?

Sally has very kindly shared her recipe  for apple cider cake. It's a cake she's made hundreds of times, so her tips are included. Add it to your repertoire, dear readers, it's a cracker! If you're passing through, or indeed if you live in the Young region, make sure you stop by and say hello.

APPLE CIDER CAKE
1 cup/250mls apple cider (apple juice is ok too!)
200g dates, chopped and destoned
1 teaspoon baking soda
125g butter, softened
11/2 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11/2 cups self raising flour
2 large or 3 small green cooking apples

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dessicated coconut
100g butter
4 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 175-180 degrees C (or whatever temperature your oven cooks best for a long, slow-baked cake). Line the bottom and sides of a large (20cm) round cake tin with baking paper and make sure the paper comes up over the top of tin (as sometimes the topping can boil over the top and then you have an awful mess to clean up in the oven!).

Peel, core and quarter the apples and chop them into pea-sized pieces. Combine the chopped dates in a saucepan with the cup of apple cider and baking soda, bring to the boil and allow to cool. (Don't walk away while the mixture is boiling, as your saucepan will be coated in a black base that takes a whole day to clean off).

Beat the butter and caster sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Lower the speed of the beater and then add the flour. Fold in the date and cider mixture, followed by the chopped apple. Bake for 40-45 minutes, perhaps one hour, until the cake is firm in the middle and even a little too dark on top, or the middle has sunk a little.

Combine the topping ingredients in a saucepan over heat until smooth and well combined. (I find it best to actually start to 'boil the bag out of it' and then put it onto the top of the cake). Spread the topping over the whole cake and cook for 25-30 minutes more until the top is golden. Allow to cool in the tin. The cake needs to have a dark golden colour, even if one side is bordering on black. You can leave the cake overnight in the tin if you like, just pull out the paper edges and use a crow bar to lever the cake out of the tin. You will get it out, no problem.

To serve, warm a generous slice in the microwave for 30 seconds (Adriana's hint) and serve with dollops of cream!

Ducks on the fence quack a welcome greeting our way...

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The café is part of the original Young Primary School, built around 1883...

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The blackboard on the main wall behind the counter is original...

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We used the same little slates when I started kindergarten in the early 1960s...

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 The aroma of apples and caramel inside the café is mouthwatering...

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'You won't like this cake at all,' Peter says with a grin... 'Um, yes I will.'

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The old school house café is located at 2 Campbell Street, Young, behind the Lambing Flat Museum. It's open from Thursday to Sunday between 9am and 5pm. For enquiries contact Sally on 0437 822 184. 

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Tell me, have you found places where you feel right at home. Are there little gems you've discovered on your travels? Do tell.
Sally Carsom
26/8/2013 01:15:26 am

Beautifully done Liz !

Lizzy
26/8/2013 09:26:39 am

Sally, thank you... was a delight to meet you and spend time in your company. That cake is divine. Thank you again for so kindly sharing the recipe xo

john@kitchenriffs link
26/8/2013 09:30:30 am

What a fun sounding place! You took loads of nifty pictures. Plus the recipe for apple cider cake sounds wonderful! It'll be apple cider season in a few weeks - gotta make this! Thanks so much.

Lizzy
26/8/2013 08:21:51 pm

John, thanks so much! This cake is a cracker! : )

celia link
26/8/2013 09:53:47 am

Lizzy, I loved this post - Pete's grandmother spent years in a nursing home in Young, so we would visit several times a year. It's such a lovely place - back then there was the old Jam Factory, which is sadly now gone, I believe - and we always came back with boxes of cherries when they were in season. Lovely memories, thanks darling.. x

Lizzy
26/8/2013 08:22:51 pm

Celia, thank you. What lovely memories you have of the time when Peter's grandma was in Young. I hope you can go back sometime for cherry picking and to stop into this cafe!

@ChristineSalins link
26/8/2013 11:15:47 am

Lovely post Liz. We loved the old Schoolhouse Cafe when we were in Young for the Cherry Festival, and we were lucky enough to enjoy their apple cider cake hot from the oven. It was sensational!

Lizzy
26/8/2013 08:23:40 pm

Hi Christine, snap! It is a sensational cake, isn't it! As soon as we are in the next phase of our diet, I might make a smaller version, it's just so good!

e / dig in hobart link
26/8/2013 02:56:15 pm

i want to go there now! i love cafes with character and history, it makes the whole experience wonderful. the cake too looks delicious - how generous of sally to share it with you (and us).

Lizzy
26/8/2013 08:24:10 pm

Hi there! Isn't it generous of Sally to share the recipe. I love cafes with character too... so much nicer than a trendy city cafe!

Joanne T Ferguson link
26/8/2013 03:43:45 pm

G'day and GORGEOUS photos Lizzy, true!
The apple cider cake looks scrumptious and could go for a piece of that now and thank you for brightening my day today too!
Cheers! Joanne

Lizzy
26/8/2013 08:24:34 pm

Thanks so much, Joanne!

Maureen link
26/8/2013 06:29:46 pm

What a lovely post, Liz. I felt I was there and I would love these people! Alpaca mating - you write about the best things.

I'm making this cake!

Lizzy
26/8/2013 08:24:54 pm

Thank you, Maureen... you would love this cake methinks! : )

Krista link
26/8/2013 09:18:34 pm

What a lovely place and such a kind lady. :-) This cake looks wonderfully old fashioned and moist. :-)

Lizzy
27/8/2013 09:24:38 am

Thanks Krista, it's really delicious... I mean REALLY delicious! : )

Elizabeth link
26/8/2013 11:38:53 pm

Looks like a cracker of a cake. Is the apple cider meant to alcoholic or is it just plain sparkling non-alcoholic cider. I'm not really that familiar with using cider in cooking.

Sally Carson via Lizzy
27/8/2013 09:23:29 am

Elizabeth, thank you. Non-alcoholic - Devondale sparkling apple or
something similar. Fizzes up with the dates and the bicarb so I guess with the heating any alcohol would be pushed out so probably either would be fine. : )

Catherine @ farmhousehome link
26/8/2013 11:55:06 pm

Lizzy you had me as soon as I saw the picture of the cake! Apples and caramel, I love the sound of it all. How lovely of Sally to share the recipe, I will make it for sure and what a welcoming, warm cafe she runs. I know I'd love it there.

Lizzy
27/8/2013 09:25:38 am

Catherine, thank you... I hope you will try Sally's cake... it really is very very good! And, yes, the cafe is warm and welcoming : )

InTolerant Chef link
27/8/2013 12:43:30 am

How warm and welcoming this cafe looks Lizzy! The cake sounds scrummy, but I might make it with hubbys favourite pear cider- do you think it will still taste as good?

Lizzy
27/8/2013 09:26:09 am

Bec, I think it would be lovely with the pear cider too! : )

Lisa the Gourmet Wog link
27/8/2013 01:57:06 am

I love Young, such a beautiful picturesque city. We try to get down there every year to pick cherries! Your cake looks so yum Lizzy, would love have a slice with a cup of chai

Lizzy
27/8/2013 09:27:02 am

It's a pretty town, isn't it Lisa! I want to go for cherries this year too! Sally's cake is delicious... would be perfect with chai! : )

Glenda link
27/8/2013 02:15:01 pm

Hi Liz, lovely post. Sounds like you had a fab time. I have Lyndey's book Balance. I bought it after I read it was on Maggie Beer's top 10 favourite cookbooks of all time. High praise indeed!!

Lizzy
27/8/2013 10:09:19 pm

Thanks Glenda! Actually, that is one book of Lyndey's I don't have. High praise for sure. : )

Janie link
28/8/2013 08:20:11 am

You tell a good tale Lizzy, I always feel like I'm right there with you!
The cake looks, sounds and I bet smells gorgeous. I've bookmarked it & am about to share on pinterest, Yummy!
Janie x

Lizzy
28/8/2013 08:03:40 pm

Thanks so much, Janie! That makes the writer inside of me feel really warm and fuzzy xox

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link
28/8/2013 10:24:21 pm

I'm enjoying your new writing style Lizzy!

Lizzy
29/8/2013 08:28:34 pm

Many thanks Lorraine.

Karen (Back Road Journal) link
29/8/2013 01:22:16 am

You have me thinking about pulling out our cider press later this fall when it is time to start picking the apples in our orchard. This cake is so different with the dates and coconut...yum.

Lizzy
29/8/2013 08:28:02 pm

Oh Karen, now I am envious! May I please come to visit during apple season some day? : )

cquek link
29/8/2013 09:51:49 pm

They look sooo delicious!

Lizzy
8/9/2013 09:14:46 pm

Thank you!

kellie@foodtoglow link
29/8/2013 11:08:10 pm

Mmm, I love a good apple cake- this sounds and looks divine. And seeing as we are entering autumn here in the UK it seems right to be thinking about such lovely cakes again. The cafe sounds just like the place that I would fall in love with - especially with Ella singing in the background. And what a charming name for a museum!

Lizzy
8/9/2013 09:15:12 pm

Oh Kellie, yes, you would love this cafe... I hope you will try this cake, it really is a KEEPER! xo

Laura (Tutti Dolci) link
30/8/2013 11:45:16 am

What a lovely cafe and your cake looks heavenly, I love apple desserts!

Lizzy
8/9/2013 09:15:23 pm

Thanks Laura, me too xo

Sally Carson
31/8/2013 12:57:19 am

Wow... what a lot of lovely comments and encouragement from all who have ready your lovely story Lizzy. I hope the Apple Cider Cake brings lots of oohs and aahs from the family and friends of everyone who takes the time to prepare one. It's worth the effort!!

Lizzy
8/9/2013 09:15:44 pm

Thanks Sally, and thank you again ever so much for sharing your recipe. So VERY generous!

Tamara Coleman link
13/9/2013 01:40:41 am

Mmmmm what a perfect treat this time of year! I LOVE anything cinnamon, apple cider, carmel, or pumpkin during the fall months! :)
www.prettybitchescancooktoo.com

Lizzy
18/9/2013 04:39:24 pm

Thanks Tamara! : )

Kimberley link
9/10/2013 10:31:51 pm

I visited the Old School House Cafe on the weekend and tasted a bit of this cake. Best apple cake ever! Alan and I were smiling as we ate it, just amazed by it! So happy to have found the recipe here. Thanks Sally for sharing it!

Jamie link
25/10/2013 10:30:08 pm

What a wonderful story and the café looks like the kind of place I would make as my regular stop.... breakfast or afternoon book and a snack. Wonderful! And the cake!! Fantastic and bookmarked!


Comments are closed.

    Welcome...

    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
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