Comfort food in a party dress. That’s what you get when when the apples cook into the batter, the blueberries explode into a jammy mess and the warm spices mix with sugar to form a crunchy top.
This is my adaptation of that famous New York Times purple plum torte. You can find the back story and the original recipe here. My choice of apples and blueberries was largely guided by the fact that plum season has not quite arrived (meaning that plums are wildly overpriced at the moment), and my inability to cook the same thing multiple times. I do advise you to try the original, if you haven’t already, but this version may just be your favourite.
The torte needs something creamy to make it sing. I go for Greek yoghurt, or mascarpone, but add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it’s bound to make you abandon all thoughts of portion control.
Spiced apple and blueberry torte
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp
- 125 g butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 4 lunchbox apples, peeled and cut into wedges
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Greek yoghurt or mascarpone, to serve
For the spice mix, combine:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice (optional)
- a pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
- Greek yoghurt or mascarpone, to serve
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease an 18 or 20 cm baking tin or pie dish.
- Cream the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar till light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and mix till combined.
- Stir together the flour and the baking powder and mix into the egg mixture.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared dish, and spread into an even layer. Top with the apples and blueberries.
- Sprinkle with the lemon juice, then the spice mix, then the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out free of batter.
- Allow to cool and serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or mascarpone.
