Irish Brick Cake
I've made this cake before but only posted a picture and a link to the blog where I found the recipe. However, it's a GREAT 'cake' and deserves its own post.
This cake is very appropriately named as it's as sturdy as a brick (no light crumb texture inside). Due to the rolled oats used in the recipe, it needs a lot of chewing to devour. The sweetness comes from the apples and dates buried in the center. You could easily convince yourself that it's a healthy snack ... sort of like a granola bar in a cake form.
Irish Brick Cake - serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to indulge but it doesn't really need it.
Irish Brick Cake - serves 12-16
2 cups (250 gm) plain flour
2 3/4 cup (250 gm) rolled oats
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 cup and 1 tbsp (250 gm) butter
1 cup and 1 tbsp (250 gm) sugar
2 tbsp of golden syrup (corn syrup in the US and Canada)
2 firm apples (ie Granny Smith), peeled and sliced
1/4 cup of dates, chopped roughly.
Preheat your oven to 360 deg Fahrenheit
Line a 8 or 9 inch (20cm) round cake tin or springform pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl place the flour, oats, salt and baking soda.
In a medium sized saucepan melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup over a low temperature until the sugar dissolves.
Peel and slice the apples and chop the dates while the butter and sugar mixture comes together on the stove.
Once the butter and sugar mixture is melted add it to the dry ingredients and stir to combine until there aren't any dry floury areas. Layer half the mixture into the cake tin and press down firmly on the bottom and along the sides.
Layer the apple slices on the cake mixture, lightly pressing down once complete, and sprinkle the dates over the top.
Add the remaining mixture to cover the apple and date layer.
Press down firmly.
Bake in the oven for 35-45 min or until lightly golden.
Allow the cake to cool for five minutes on a cooling rack before serving. You may have to saw through the cake while it's still warm so as not to cause the cake to crumble.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTE FROM ORIGINAL RECIPE: You can replace the sugar and golden syrup with 3/4 cup (250 gm) of honey, though you will need to add an extra 6 1/2 tbsp (50 gm) of plain flour to the recipe. You may replace the apples with another fruit ie stone fruits such as peaches, pears and berries and the dates with raisins, currants, or cranberries.
This cake is very appropriately named as it's as sturdy as a brick (no light crumb texture inside). Due to the rolled oats used in the recipe, it needs a lot of chewing to devour. The sweetness comes from the apples and dates buried in the center. You could easily convince yourself that it's a healthy snack ... sort of like a granola bar in a cake form.
Irish Brick Cake - serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to indulge but it doesn't really need it.
Irish Brick Cake - serves 12-16
2 cups (250 gm) plain flour
2 3/4 cup (250 gm) rolled oats
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 cup and 1 tbsp (250 gm) butter
1 cup and 1 tbsp (250 gm) sugar
2 tbsp of golden syrup (corn syrup in the US and Canada)
2 firm apples (ie Granny Smith), peeled and sliced
1/4 cup of dates, chopped roughly.
Preheat your oven to 360 deg Fahrenheit
Line a 8 or 9 inch (20cm) round cake tin or springform pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl place the flour, oats, salt and baking soda.
In a medium sized saucepan melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup over a low temperature until the sugar dissolves.
Peel and slice the apples and chop the dates while the butter and sugar mixture comes together on the stove.
Once the butter and sugar mixture is melted add it to the dry ingredients and stir to combine until there aren't any dry floury areas. Layer half the mixture into the cake tin and press down firmly on the bottom and along the sides.
Layer the apple slices on the cake mixture, lightly pressing down once complete, and sprinkle the dates over the top.
Add the remaining mixture to cover the apple and date layer.
Press down firmly.
Bake in the oven for 35-45 min or until lightly golden.
Allow the cake to cool for five minutes on a cooling rack before serving. You may have to saw through the cake while it's still warm so as not to cause the cake to crumble.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTE FROM ORIGINAL RECIPE: You can replace the sugar and golden syrup with 3/4 cup (250 gm) of honey, though you will need to add an extra 6 1/2 tbsp (50 gm) of plain flour to the recipe. You may replace the apples with another fruit ie stone fruits such as peaches, pears and berries and the dates with raisins, currants, or cranberries.