APPLE, PRUNE AND OLIVE OIL MINICAKES IN COLLABORATION WITH KENWOOD

Recipe

Olive oil is such an incredible ingredient to bake with. It keeps cakes extremely moist while imparting a beautiful fruity and grassy flavour. The tart homely flavours of green apples pair so well with the dark sweetness of prunes, which are always readily available. These mini cakes will keep well refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

MAKES 8 MINICAKES

FOR THE MINICAKES

150g spelt or regular flour
60g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
120ml extra virgin olive oil
100ml pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 organic eggs
12 pitted prunes, roughly chopped
2 small green apples, skin left on, cored and diced into 1cm cubes 

FOR THE VANILLA BEAN CREAM CHEESE ICING

150g butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g cream cheese

FOR THE DECORATIONS

1 tablespoon cinnamon for dusting
1 green apple
Juice of 1 lemon 

  1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC fan bake. Grease 9 holes of a large muffin tray very well.
  2. Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of your kMix, using the balloon whisk attachment, beat together the oil and sugar, and gradually add the vanilla and eggs. Stop once pale and thick (this should take about 3 minutes)
  4. In 2 parts, using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated, being careful not to over mix.
  5. Evenly divide the batter between the muffin holes and dot in the prune and apple pieces. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The cakes are ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  6. Allow the cakes to cool for around 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
  7. Meanwhile make the icing. In the bowl of your kMix using the folding tool, beat the butter by itself until smooth. Add the icing sugar and beat on high until seriously light and fluffy. Gradually add the cream cheese, followed by the vanilla. The icing should be smooth, creamy and thick.
  8. Once the cakes are completely cool, swirl some icing onto each one using a spoon or a piping bag.
  9. To spiralize your apple, use the kMix spiralizer attachment and create some ribbons. Immediately squeeze the lemon juice over them and place them on a paper towel to remove any excess liquid.
  10. Place an apple spiral on each cake, pressing lightly down into the icing, and finish off with a dusting of cinnamon.
  11. Serve at room temperature.