Warm Spiced Apple, Sultana & Polenta Cake

As I look out my window, apples are nearly ripe on the tree in the garden.   Go out, pick some, make this (not from my tree obviously).    This recipe falls somewhere between a pudding and a cake.   Super moist and soft when just cooked but firms up in the fridge and keeps up to a week.   Served here with an apple compote and whipped cream - naughty but nice.


Cake Ingredients:
Butter: 125g
Caster Sugar - 150g
Ground Almonds - 150g
Plain Flour - 75g
Polenta - 75g
Baking Powder - 1 heaped tsp
Medium Eggs - 2Ground Cinnamon - 1 heaped tsp
Lemon Juice - generous squeeze
Lemon Zest - from 1 lemon
Bramley Apple - 150g grated
Sultanas - 75g
Spiced Syrup Ingredients:
Clove - 5
Cinnamon Stick - 1 broken in half
Star Anise - 5
Fresh Ginger - 25g grated
Caster Sugar - 50g
Apple Juice - 75ml
Apple Compote Ingredients
Bramley Apple - 150g peeled and grated
Bramley Apple - 150g peeled and chopped into 2mm dice then toss in lemon juice
Caster Sugar - 100g
Water - 100ml


Method:
For the cake, heat the oven to 165c.   In a food processor, cream together the first 6 ingredients then add the eggs to make a very thick batter.   Add the lemon zest, juice and apples and pulse to mix - the moist apple will contribute the liquid the batter needs to become pourable.   Take out the blade and stir in the sultanas by hand.   Line a 7 inch cake tin with baking parchment and butter the edges.   Pour in the cake mix, roughly level and then bake for 1 hour and 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean when poked in the centre of the cake.


To make the syrup, heat all the ingredients to a boil then take off the heat and allow to infuse.   Strain when cool and set aside.   For the compote, bring the grated apple, sugar and water to the boil and simmer gently until a rough puree is formed.   Toss in the apple cubes and heat through then remove from the heat - the two apple preparations will give you texture as well as flavour.   Un-mould the cake, prick all over with a skewer and spoon over the syrup while the cake is still warm.   Leave for 10 mins for the syrup to distribute then serve.