Apple and Blueberry Shortcake



Granny Smith Apples are currently in season (in Australia, that is) and I couldn't resist buying some in case I had sudden cravings for apple desserts. I love using apples for baking, and some of my favourites are Apple Crumble and Dutch Apple Cake, which I have made over and over again. My original intention with these lovely green apples was to make an Upside-down Apple Cake, which is absolutely decadent. However, the recipe makes quite a large cake and is best eaten on the same day. All I wanted was a slice or two, and not having to eat apple cake everyday for the rest of the week. It's just too sinful. Instead, I found a recipe for Apple and Blueberry Shortcake in Bills Food, a cookbook by Bill Granger (I was puzzled why it was spelt Bills and not Bill's, and G speculated that some people might take it to mean "Bill is Food" instead. Hmmm....).



This shortcake looks somewhat like an apple pie since it's essentially apple filling enclosed in pastry, except that it's not really pastry but perhaps more like cakey shortbread. I substituted the blueberries with a mixture of blue, red and blackberries (I bought a bag of frozen mixed berries) which is why the apples in the picture above are tinged with red from the raspberries. This shortcake makes a wonderful teatime treat, and is also a delicious way to end a meal on a sweet and fruity note.

Apple and Blueberry Shortcake
Adapted from Bills Food

Ingredients

4 large Granny Smith apples
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup blueberries (or mixed berries if you like)
Demerara or raw sugar, for sprinkling
Whipped cream, to serve

Method

  1. Peel and core apples, then cut each one into 16 slices. Put them in a medium saucepan with zest, sugar and 2 tablespoons water, then cover and stew on low heat for 10 minutes or until just tender but not mushy. Stir or turn the apples occasionally to prevent the ones at the bottom of the pan from overcooking.
  2. Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Sift in flour and baking powder and stir until combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide into two and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Roll each half of the dough into a 8 1/2 inch round. Grease and line the base of a round 9 inch springform tin. Press one round into the base. Spread the apples over the dough, leaving a small border around the edge. Sprinkle with berries. Place the other round of dough over the top and press the edges to seal. Brush the top with water and sprinkle with sugar.
  4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Light and fluffy Ricotta Cheesecake (with homemade ricotta)

Image
I made ricotta cheese. Did you not know you could do that, with only 3 ingredients in less than 10 minutes! And all with curds and whey, I felt like Little Miss Muffet now waiting for a spider to pounce at me. So why make ricotta? Apparently, homemade ricotta gives the cheesecake a fluffier texture, and it did turn out to be light, fluffy and creamy, with a subtle taste of ricotta. I used a gingernut biscuit base just to add some flavour and texture, although you can omit that to make a crustless version. This is not a very sweet cake, unlike your typical New York cheesecake. It's probably closer to a Japanese cheesecake except for the fine graininess of the ricotta. If you like, you can serve it with some berry coulis to satisfy that sweet tooth. I find that the cake tastes best after it has "matured" for up to 3 days in the fridge. The flavours seem to have developed and the texture is somehow creamier too. Ricotta in the making Homemade Ricotta Adapted from Smitten Kit...
Read more

Malaysian Satay Recipe

Image
  Mention the word "satay" and I am instantly reminded of my childhood years and years ago, how the Malay Satay Man would peddle his mobile satay stall on his bicycle in my neighbourhood, tooting his horn. Sometimes, I could even smell the aroma from my house, even though he could be grilling his satay down the road. I would get all excited at the prospect of having satay for dinner, and run to the window to see if I could detect any "smoke" signals in the sky. He made one of the best satays in town, and the fact that he peddled his stall around the neighbourhood meant that we could walk up to him with empty plates and bowls waiting to be filled with freshly made satay. Those were the simple things in life back then, though coming from a foodie family, food was and is a big deal, as to most Malaysians of course. Malaysian Satay is such a luxury item in Sydney. I don't think I've ever ordered satay here before, not when I know it costs multiple times less bac...
Read more

The Ultimate Pad Thai Recipe

Image
I was pretty excited when I saw that Lorraine  had posted this wonderful recipe for Pad Thai on her blog. The photos simply said it all. The almost deep and rich orange hue of the noodles was the sign of a winner and it's as authentic as it gets. None of the dry, pale-looking noodles with dry chunks of chicken meat and scattering of chives, egg and tofu that I usually get in Sydney. For the record, I never order pad thai though Mr TFWL likes to always give it a chance. My preference is still to order pad kee mao (my favourite pad kee mao is from Pom's Thai in Burwood, now Strathfield). Anyway, this is how I like my pad thai - saucy and moist noodles with the right balance of sweet and sour from the tamarind and palm sugar, with saucy bits of egg crumble tossed through the noodles. Notice the key word is saucy. Loving this pad thai sauce and if you make a big batch of it, the rest of the preparation and cooking is a breeze (well, almost!). Thanks  Lorraine  for the recipe!...
Read more