Autumn means cooler weather, apples and baking...

Bite into an apple from your local grower and you can immediately tell the difference between it and the average supermarket apple. A fresh local apple is crunchy, clean and crisp tasting. You can just about taste the cool autumn air in a local apple. A supermarket apple can travel thousands of kilometres and sit for up to ten months before you buy it. Apples are rich in vitamin c and fibre and children love them. There is just something so satisfying about biting into a fresh apple on an autumn day.

No one is certain of the early history of the apple but there are records of apples dating back to ancient Egypt, other civilizations around the Caspian Sea and also in China. In the 13th century BC, the famous Ramses II decreed that apples of various varieties were to be cultivated in the Nile Delta. In ancient Rome the great Roman statesmen Pliny the Elder, recognized 37 different types of apples in his ancient scroll the Historia naturalis (www.vergparadise.com) The Greeks were growing several varieties of apples by the late 300’s BC. Researchers have even found the charred remains of apples at a Stone Age village in Switzerland (www.newint.org)

The first trees that produced sweet, crunchy apples similar to the ones we enjoy today were located many thousands of years ago near the modern city of Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. The first apples to be brought to Australia were by Captain Bligh on the Bounty.

If your want to grow your own apples you will want to do some research, however there are apple trees that can be grown in moderate climates and even in a container on your balcony.

Rapadura sugar is made from organically grown sugar cane and is not refined. Unfortunately it is mainly imported from Brazil and Colombia. Because it is not separated and processed it retains the vitamins and minerals found in sugar cane and molasses, which makes it high in iron and trace elements such as magnesium. Use it by substituting 1 for 1 for most sugars while baking.

This simple crumb cake is great for school lunches, afternoon tea or a cup of coffee with a friend. Baking should be easy, fun and even spontaneous so keep your pantry stocked and don’t be afraid to substitute ingredients if you don’t have something on hand.

Apple Crumb Cake

125 g butter, room temperature
250 g rapadura sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
500 g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
250 g plain yoghurt
2 large baking apples, peeled, cored and diced.

Topping

125 g rapedura or brown sugar
125 g chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 180. Grease and flour a 9 x 13in (23 x 33 cm) baking pan.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well. Stir in vanilla. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in batches alternating with the yoghurt, mix until well blended. Stir in apples and pour into cake pan.

In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle evenly over the cake. Bake until top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean about 50- 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes; turn the cake onto a wire rack and then invert onto serving platter.

Michele Dennis