Sticky Apple, Gingerbread and Pecan Loaf Cake

I just can't believe the wether has turned so cold again...well this of course meant that I needed to make something warming and it even smelt Christmassy hehehe :))

Sticky Apple, Gingerbread and Pecan Loaf Cake

150g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
150g soft dark brown sugar
150g golden syrup
200ml milk
250g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp baking powder
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
75g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
2 crisp eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped into chunks (about 245g peeled and cored)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4.
Grease and line a 2 litre loaf tin. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool.
Sift the flour with the dry spices and baking powder into a bowl. Add the chopped apples and mix in to cover the apples with flour (this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom) add the toasted pecans.
Whisk the eggs into the milk and pour into the cooled sugar mixture.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the cooled sugar/milk mixture. With a wooden spoon, slowly incorporate with the flour mixture using a circular motion. Try to be gently and don't over mix as you don't want it tough.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for around 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then place on a wire rack.
Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream or mascarpone or cold in slices with mascarpone :))

I added a crumble topping, if you want to add this refer to my apple crumble pie recipe for the crumble recipe :)

A quick little pudding of Apple and Pecan Strudel

Tonight was a busy cooking night, i made shephards pie with a sweet potato mash and decided last minute to make an apple and pecan strudel as i had some apples left over. I didnt give myself much time...all of 10 minutes to make it, but with a quick patch up job with the filo pastry it came out well haha and tasted divine. It really is a simple and quite quick recipe...a nice little accompaniment to dinner :)

Apple and Pecan Strudel

4 small sweet eating apples (or 2 large-I used red delicious)
80 g butter
4 sheets filo pastry
150 g pecan nuts, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g Muscovado sugar
30g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180c/160c
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat or in the microwave.
Carefully cut the filo pasty into 30 x 50cm sheets with a knife. Mix the pecans, cinnamon and muscovado sugar together.
Peel and slice the apples thinly and set them aside while you make up the strudel.
Lay the first sheet of filo pasty on a clean tea towel on your work surface and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle over a third of the pecan mixture. Lay another sheet of filo pastry on top, brush with butter and sprinkle again with a third of the pecan mixture. Repeat with the third sheet and then add the fourth sheet of filo pastry.
Sprinkle the apples with the caster sugar and mix well. Spread them out along one long edge of the top sheet of filo pastry. Starting at the edge with the apple mixture on, gently lift the edge of the tea towel and use it to help you roll the pastry up lengthways like a Swiss roll – the apples will end up at the centre. Once it's all rolled up, press your strudel together gently.
Place it on a baking try and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or double cream

It is perfect the next day, heated up in the oven.

Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe