Sam Stern's Apple Cake

Our second Tuesday at cookery club saw us making Apple cake. These photo's are of the cake I made the night before. The children's cakes looked a little different!!!
We made two cake, both looked and tasted very different. The children are aged 8 - 10 and have a varied skill level, once the cakes were in the oven and the kids were cleaning up we over heard them discussing the recipe. One whispered to her friend, oops, I think I put a tablespoon of mixed spice in my cake instead of a teaspoon!” Two boys were trying to decide if they had put the baking powder in their cake…all in all good fun and a huge learning curve.

Great texture

While we waited for them to cook we went on Sam Stern’s web site where we left him a message telling him what we are doing this term. I hope he gets back to us as the kids are really excited!
This is proving to be so much fun!

Dusted with icing sugar - I served this with pouring cream

1 ½ lb cooking apples
30z butter
1 tbsp lemon or orange marmalade
6 oz soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
8 oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tbsp milk
Grated rid of 1 lemon
Icing sugar for dusting.

1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Grease and line a 8” round deep loose bottomed cake tin
3. Peel, core and chop the apples into small dices
4. Beat the sugar and butter until soft and pale
5. Add egg little at a time until all beaten in
6. Sift flour, baking powder and spices into the mixture
7. Fold in with a large metal spoon until mixes
8. Gently fold in the marmalade and rind
9. Add the apple and fold in gently,
10.Add a little milk if the mixture isn’t soft enough to just drop off the spoon
11.Bake for 1 hour or until it is tested with a skewer and it comes out clean.
12. Leave to cool13. Sieve icing sugar over the top before serving.

Sam Sterns Flap Jacks

I help out at the after school cookery club in the primary school where I work as a learning support worker. This half term we are working through the chapter called 'school recovery' in Sam Stern's first book, 'Cooking up a Storm'

The first week we made flapjack. One batch of plain and another of apricot. They were delicous! My favourtie was the apricot ones, they were softer almost chewy...very morish! Photo isn't the best but I'm surprised I managed to snap it before it was eaten.

175g soft brown sugar
175g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
275g porridge oats
1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional) but I'd say it's a must!

Method:
Grease a 20cm square baking tin measuring about 4cm deep with a bit of extra butter.
Put the sugar, butter and syrup to melt in a large saucepan, over a gentle heat. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Remove the pan from the heat. Tip the oats into the pan. Add the ginger (if using).
Mix well.
Pour the mixture into your prepared tin.
Use your hands or a spatula to level it off.
Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade/gas 2 while the mixture is standing.
Bake for at least 40 minutes, till golden and still a little soft in the middle.
The mixture will firm up as it cools.
Leave to cool in the tin.
When the mixture has cooled slightly, cut it into squares.
Take them out when cold and firm.