What We Ate Wednesday--Apple Streusel Cake

Hello lovelies! Autumn is definitely here! Temperatures are dropping, we've had the portable heater on at night (but haven't turned the radiators on yet) and leaves are beginning to turn.

Also, I know it is autumn because people keep giving us apples.

Lots of apples.

Bags and bags of apples.

Eaters....cookers....lots and lots and lots of apples.

I don't really mind. We've had crumbles by the score, more stewed apples and custard then you can shake a (cinnamon) stick at, apple and butternut squash soup...you name it we've had it. I was getting a little appled out, if you know what I mean. I was down to just a few apples left and then I had a dream.

Not just any dream. An apple dream. A dream about a way to finish off that last apple in a blaze of glory. A vanilla cake with a swirl of caramelised apple, topped with that crumbly topping like you get on a coffee cake. A streusel topping. Mmmmmmm.......

I woke up and knew I had to make it. it is slightly higher in both fat and sugar than I normally do, due to the streusel topping...but it is worth it.

Side note: Every time I type the word streusel it gives me a red squiggly line and asks me Do you mean lustreless. No. No, I do not. This cake is the opposite of lustreless.

This cake has a few more steps than a normal cake, but it tastes *amazing* so it is well worth the effort.

Apple Streusel Cake
Preheat your oven to 190C/375F
Grease an 8 inch square cake pan

Firstly, make your caramelised apple.
1 eating apple, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 TB non dairy vegan "butter"
Drizzle liquid sweetener (I used golden syrup)
Melt the butter and stir in the apple and the drizzle of sweetener and cook until apple has softened. Set aside to cool.

Secondly, make your streusel.
 3 TB non dairy vegan "butter"
4 TB demerara sugar
6 TB (GF) flour
Hefty shake cinnamon
Melt the butter and then add the rest of the ingredients and stir until it is all mixed and bit like wet sand. Set aside.

Thirdly, make the actual cake.
2 TB non dairy vegan "butter"
1/4 cup plus 2 TB soya yogurt or 2 TB butter in place of the extra yogurt if fat is not an issue for you
1 cup demerara sugar (or half a cup sugar with stevia)
1 cup non dairy milk
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and yogurt with the sugar until the sugar has broken down a bit and is less gritty. Then add the milk.

Sift directly into the liquid ingredients:
1 3/4 cup (GF) flour
1 tsp xanthan gum (ONLY if using GF flour)
2 TB custard powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking SODA, not baking POWDER)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp each allspice and nutmeg
Mix the wet and the dry together and then fold in your caramelised apples and spoon into the greased pan.

These next steps need to be done QUICKLY so get everything ready.
Add 2 TB apple cider vinegar to the batter and stir quickly to combine. then smooth out the top and using your fingers quickly sprinkle the streusel topping over the cake. It doesn't matter if you miss bits, it will spread in the hot oven.

Get that cake in the oven ASAP and bake for 25 minutes.

I know the vinegar thing seems weird...but trust me. it makes your cakes (especially gluten free cakes) rise like a dream and be melt in your mouth tender without an egg in sight.

This was a perfect way to end the deluge of autumn apples.

Until next year.