While I was travelling, I discovered an amazing sweet shop in Queenstown, New Zealand called the Remarkable Sweet Shop where I tried the most amazing fudge ever – apple pie fudge. I’ve never been able to find apple fudge anywhere else, so I decided to make my own. This creamier coloured soft fudge contains pieces of caramelised apple, and is adapted from this recipe for crumbly butter tablet.

Ingredients

For the caramelised apple

• 2 sweet apples (I used Jazz apples), peeled cored and finely chopped
• 15g unsalted butter
• 2tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2tbsp apple juice (or you use high juice squash)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon + ½ tsp ground cinnamon for decoration

For the fudge

• 900g caster sugar
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 794g condensed milk (2x 397g Carnation tins)
• 80g unsalted butter
• 180ml water
• ½tsp ground cinnamon
• 2tbsp apple juice

Instructions

1. Make the caramelised apples by melting the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the apples. Once most of the butter has absorbed and nearly all the liquid has gone, sprinkle in the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir well. Watch for the juices to thicken and darken then remove from the heat. Leave to cool a little.
2. You’ll need a 9″x9″ square dish to put the fudge in. I used silicone as it was easier to remove the fudge, but if you’re using ceramic or metal, you’ll need to line your dish with greaseproof paper.
3. Make the fudge by melting the butter on low heat in a large saucepan, then turning up the heat to medium/high and adding the rest of the ingredients, stirring constantly. Bring to bring to the boil.
4. Turn the heat down to medium, but keep the mixture boiling, still stirring regularly for 20 minutes. The mixture will darken and thicken.
5. Take the pan off the heat and beat with an electric mixer for 4 minutes. Then add in the caramelised apples and beat for another 3 minutes.
6. Place mixture in your prepared dish and smooth over. Finish by sprinkling cinnamon over the top of the fudge. Place dish on a cooling rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes then slice up the fudge. Leave to cool for at least 3 hours.

This is the belated birthday cake I made for myself at the weekend. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart’s website: Caramelised apple spice cake with brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream.

Does anyone have any tips for working with gas ovens? I swear using it made my task of baking this extravagant cake twice as hard! Plus I didn’t have the tin size they recommended either. Having scoured Morrisons for a 2″ deep cake tin I decided it’d be easier to use the tins I had and use a third, smaller tin and just trim the other sponges down. I ended up using 4 tins and the cake mix still overflowed onto the bottom of the oven.

The once I’d cleaned up the oven it was time to make my brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream. A little tip here, if you have a Kitchen Aid or other stand mixer, use it. I had to clean the kitchen up several times as the mixture went everywhere, even in one of my big heavy mixing bowls! Luckily I succeeded in making the swiss meringue buttercream which is supposed to be quite hard to make, really glad I spent a few pounds on the kitchen thermometer!

The finished result doesn’t really look like the pictures on Martha Stewart’s website – I found it really hard to smooth the buttercream around plus the texture of the buttercream was too bubbly. The problem was I’d make it the night before and then had to bring it to room temperature – I should’ve perhaps but the mixer on a slower speed to stop air bubbles getting in it. At least I’ll know for next time…

Never mind, the cake was pretty good in the end, I think the result was worth it! I believe birthday cakes should always have more effort put into them and I’m really glad I tested myself and rose to the challenge!

Recipe for Martha Stewart’s caramelized apple spice cake and also brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream.

My housemate came back with a bottle of the delicious vanillery Lamb’s Spiced Rum which isn’t the cheapest but it tasted really nice with hot apple, and we put half a cinnamon stick in with the apple juice. Don’t put the alcohol in the pan, you’ll burn it off!

There’s a couple of other suggestions for spirits you should definitely try too: As a replacement for Lamb’s Spiced Rum, try Sailor Jerry Rum or for a more almond/caramel taste, why not use amaretto, like Disaranno.]]> http://laythetable.com/drinks/winter-warmer-hot-apple-juice-mixer/feed/ 0 http://laythetable.com/puddings/apple-daim-bar-cheesecake/ http://laythetable.com/puddings/apple-daim-bar-cheesecake/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:07:21 +0000 Becs http://laythetable.com/?p=66 tweet about Bailey's cheesecake which is an adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe. I liked the idea of using Daim bar in the base, but I quite fancied cheesecake with apple as I'd never tried it. In fact, this is the first cheesecake I've ever made!]]>

This was inspired by Creative Review’s tweet about Bailey’s cheesecake which is an adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe. I liked the idea of using Daim bar in the base, but I quite fancied cheesecake with apple as I’d never tried it. In fact, this is the first cheesecake I’ve ever made!

3hr 30mins – Prep time: 30mins – Cooking time: 1hr – Cooling time: 2hrs

{Serves: 3-4}

Ingredients

Cheesecake base

• 125g Oat biscuits (I used Hob Nobs)
• 125g Digestive biscuits
• 80g butter
• 3 Daim bars
• 1/2tsp cinammon
• pinch of salt

Cheesecake mixture

• 500g mascarpone cheese
• 100g soft cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• 125g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1tsp vanilla essence)

Apple mixture

• 4tsp light brown sugar
• 1tbsp butter
• 1 bramley apple, peeled and sliced into 1cm pieces
• 1tsp cinammon

Instructions

Oven temp: 160°C /320°F

1. Make the apple mixture. Melt the butter on a low heat in the saucepan and add the apple. Mix together and allow to cook for 1 minute before adding 2tsp light brown sugar.
2. Cover and allow to cook gently for 3-4 minutes when the apples will go soft. Stir in the cinnamon and remaining sugar. Leave to cool.
3. Make the cheesecake base. Take the Daim bars, put in a plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin until the Daim bars are in rough pieces.
4. Then add the biscuits to the bag and beat again until everything is in fine crumbs but not dust.
5. Melt the butter and combine with the biscuit crumbs in a medium size mixing bowl.
6. Add the cinnamon and salt and mix well.
7. In a 23cm springform pan, press the biscuit mixture down evenly in the bottom of the pan. Place in the fridge to chill.
8. Make the cheesecake mixture. In a large mixing bowl mix add the mascarpone cheese and soft cream cheese. Add each egg one at a time whisking until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the vanilla and caster sugar.
9. Add about half of the apple mixture to the cheesecake mixture and fold in.
10. Remove cheesecake base from the fridge and pour mixture on top.
11. By hand, gently add the remaining apple on top, then push into the mixture with a spoon
12. Place in the oven for about 50-60 mins or until the top is just browning.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours. Store in the fridge. Serve with a dusting of cinnamon.