A quirky new café opened recently at the village shopping centre just five minutes from The Blue House, so Peter and I were quite eager to check it out. To our delight, we discovered that the service is cheerful and prompt, the food is fresh and tasty, as is the coffee — and there's a delicious selection of reasonably priced cakes and slices. Needless to say, we've popped in a few times already.
It didn't take me long to find out that the baked goods are ordered in, most likely from a large-scale bakehouse in the big smoke in Sydney. We've seen the same products in other cafés in the area, though dearer, I might add. That said, each cake or slice that we've sampled thus far has been nothing short of delicious. One of my favourites is an apple and macadamia slice. Of course, me being me, I wanted to create my own version at home. My friends at Australian Macadamias keep me in good supply of those tasty morsels, and heritage apple grower, Borry Gartrell, sent me home with a massive bag of frozen sliced Bramley apples when we visited his Borrodell vineyard and orchard in Orange NSW a few months ago. So, here we have my very own recipe for homestyle Bramley apple macadamia slice.
BRAMLEY APPLE AND MACADAMIA SLICE
550g peeled, sliced and cored Bramley or other cooking apple* 2/3 cup vanilla infused caster sugar 230g unsalted butter, softened 3 free range eggs 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 230g plain (AP) flour 4g ground vanilla bean powder (or two dried beans, finelyground) 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, lightly roasted, roughly chopped Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 22 x 22cm square baking pan and line it neatly with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the lemon zest. Using a spatula, fold in the flour and the ground vanilla bean powder. Spread just over half the mixture into the base of the prepared pan. Top evenly with the apple. Spoon the remaining batter over the top of the apple. Try to spread it evenly, but don't worry if it doesn't cover completely, as it will spread as it cooks. Sprinkle over the ground macadamia nuts. Bake for 30-45 minutes until golden brown. Serve cut into squares and dusted with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container. * You can used fruit that has been frozen from the last season, or fresh Bramley apple if you have access to it. If all other possibilities fail, use unsweetened preservative-free canned pie apple. A combination of fresh Granny Smith and Delicious apples will also make for a good consistency.
Tell me dear readers, do you ever try to recreate cakes, desserts or other dishes that you've enjoyed in a restaurant or café? What's been the biggest challenge to cook at home? What was the most successful?
41 Comments
Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:42:49 pm
Thanks so kindly, Liz... hope it's a while before fall sets in for you xo
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11/8/2014 10:35:11 am
This looks delicious! I love macadamias, will have to give it a go. Thanks Lizzy!
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:43:03 pm
Thank you Lex, that's very kind! : )
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:43:23 pm
Sally, that's really kind of you... I love macadamias too : )
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Tiffany
11/8/2014 12:30:27 pm
Now this looks very yummy. I will give this one a go!
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:43:40 pm
Thanks so much, Tiffany, let me know how it goes : )
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:43:54 pm
Pamela, or for morning tea? : )
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11/8/2014 01:06:10 pm
So excited by this recipe, I think there will be a lot of love for it from both cooks and our macadamia growers. Thank you for your ongoing support of our farming community and industry.
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:44:37 pm
Thanks so much for sending me delicious macadamias to cook with... you know how much I love them! And it's my absolute pleasure to support the industry and the growers : )
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11/8/2014 01:29:51 pm
That does look incredibly tasty. You're are indeed fortunate to get macadamias, they are so expensive over here.
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:44:51 pm
Wow Eva, that is incredible!
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:45:10 pm
Thank you Adri, I do indeed love macadamias. : )
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zohra
11/8/2014 02:31:59 pm
This looks YUM! Im not into baking with apples, but am going to try this. looks similar in theory to an Apricot Bakewell tart I had once. Do you have recipe for that, Liz?
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:45:41 pm
Hi there Zohra, no, that one does not ring a bell, but I am very happy to hear from you if you have the recipe : )
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zohra
12/8/2014 01:38:13 am
Hi Liz, had to try this tonight, as I had some apples and hand...mine did not have the same crumbly texture as yours, but was more moist. Maybe I should have baked it a bit longer?
Lizzy
12/8/2014 10:52:49 am
Hi Zohra, how wonderful that you tried my recipe! Thank you : ) Was it delicious? Perhaps my oven (new/state of the art) is hotter than yours? Even though mine looked 'crumbly' it wasn't actually dry. Thanks for your feedback.
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11/8/2014 03:27:06 pm
It's fun to recreate restaurant dishes, isn't it? I'm usually fairly decent at it, but sometimes I'm stumped completely. Anyway, this is such a lovely dish! I love apples in a slice, and this looks wonderful. Thanks.
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:46:04 pm
It sure is, John, one of my favourite things to do! : )
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Lizzy
11/8/2014 07:46:27 pm
Hi Rose... plain butter cake is yummy too, isn't it! : )
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Lizzy
12/8/2014 10:53:16 am
Thank you, Mandy, it is rather : )
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Lizzy
12/8/2014 10:54:11 am
Hi David... thank you... the cafe does seem to have some good quality cakes and slices... we will have to road test a few more! : )
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12/8/2014 01:55:46 pm
What a beautiful looking slice and a great use for some good apples. I have tried to recreate dishes I've eaten at restaurants - usually pastas as they seem easier to remember and reproduce xx
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Lizzy
17/8/2014 02:50:07 pm
Charlie, that's wonderful! xo
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12/8/2014 08:02:10 pm
I love Bramely apples although they are not easy to get ahold of. Seems to me like a perfect combination of ingredients and one I would love to try
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Lizzy
17/8/2014 02:50:34 pm
Thanks so much, Tania!
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13/8/2014 06:02:11 pm
i am just going to wait for you to recreate cafe food offerings, lizzy - this looks soft and scrumptious! mum and i both love apple cakes/recipes so i'm printing her off a copy as well :-)
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Lizzy
17/8/2014 02:50:58 pm
Thanks ever so much Elizabeth! Enjoy xo
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Lizzy
17/8/2014 02:51:25 pm
Sweet! I bought mine at an op shop! So pretty!
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14/8/2014 03:18:55 am
Lizzy your apple cake looks like a typical Austrian coffee time cake. Seriously, you could sell this in a coffeehouse, although I wouldn't mind trying a slice right now too. =D You should be my neighbor!!
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Lizzy
17/8/2014 02:51:48 pm
Helene, I would LOVE to be your neighbour! xo
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18/8/2014 12:32:01 pm
Perfect "cuppa and cake" material. Looks heavenly.
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Oh yes! I try to recreate things I eat in restaurants all the time! I have to try your cake, but unfortunately, we can't get Bramley's here and my daughter is severely allergic to tree nuts. So it may have to wait a year, until she's at uni, but it's on my list for sure!
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19/8/2014 09:26:36 am
Hey Lizzy, this is exactly the type of dessert I would enjoy. I wish I could have a slice now with my cup of tea. BTW apple season just starting here in DC. We got our first apples in the market last weekend.
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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