This cake is a little bit special. Serve it warm from the oven with Gilbert’s French Vanilla Ice Cream.
Ingredients
6 spring of thyme
1/4 cup (55g) firmly packed brown sugar
3 small Bravo apples, halved through the center horizontally, seeds removed
250g unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup (250ml) unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups (225g) plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ½ cups (330g) caster sugar
1 cup (120g) almond meal
2/3 cup (170g) Greek yoghurt
¼ cup maple syrup, to drizzle
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm slice pan and line with baking paper, leaving 3cm overhanging long sides of the pan.
Scatter thyme leaves over the base of the prepared pan and set aside.
Place 2 tbsp brown sugar on a small plate. Press the cut side of each apple into the sugar.
Place a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. In batches, add apple, cut-side down, and cook for 1 minute or until sugar is caramelised. Carefully place, cut-side down, into the prepared slice pan.
Melt 50g butter and remaining 15g brown sugar in the frypan and gently stir until the sugar melts into the butter.
Pour into the prepared pan around the apple halves.
Melt remaining 200g butter, allow to cool completely, then place in a large bowl with almond milk, vanilla and eggs. Whisk to combine.
Place flour, bicarb, 1/4 tsp salt flakes, caster sugar and almond meal in a large bowl. Add egg mixture and yoghurt, and stir until smooth. Pour over the apples.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter and drizzle with maple syrup to serve.
