UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE HAZELNUT BUTTER CAKE WITH ICE CREAM
SERVES 8-10
190g organic khorasan flour (from health food stores, substitute spelt flour), plus extra to dust
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
255g salted butter
200g raw caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways,
seeds scraped
2 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
(such as Meyer or Lisbon)
120g ricotta
25g peeled hazelnuts, roasted
(we used Hazelbrae Hazelnuts), to serve
Vanilla ice cream (we used Van Diemen’s
Land), to serve
CARAMELISED APPLES
60g salted butter
1/ 3 cup (75g) raw caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
5 Granny Smith or tart cooking apples,
peeled, cored and halved
Grease a 15 cup (3.75L) bundt pan with butter. Dust with flour to coat evenly, shaking away excess. Chill until required.
For the caramelised apples, place butter, sugar and a good pinch of fine salt in a large frypan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar has dissolved. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Add apple, cut-side down, and cook for 1 minute until caramelised. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes until caramelised. Transfer apple to a plate and set aside. Remove pan from the heat and cool butter mixture in pan.
Pour cooled butter mixture into the prepared chilled bundt pan and tilt to cover evenly. Set aside. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. Using a fork, lightly whisk whole eggs and egg yolks in a bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, 1 tsp fine salt, vanilla seeds and extract and lemon zest on a medium speed for 10 minutes until pale and white.
Reduce spee
Slowly add the w every minute sides of the b be slow, and m speed to mediu to fully incorporate the mixture. Add the ricotta, and mix into the cake batter on medium-low speed.
Add half the sifted flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining flour mixture (you don’t want to overmix, so you can keep a lovely light texture to the cake).
Using a rubber spatula, gently transfer the cake batter into a large bowl, gently stirring to incorporate any loose flour that may have accumulated in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Stand at room temperature for 1 hour or so. This will help loosen the batter so that you have a nice moist, soft cake rather than a dense one.