Apple Walnut Cake

This cake is a variation which I reinvent from the "Summer Sponge Cake" recipe. This cake is light in fat, low in sugar, high in fiber, rich in nutrition and nutty in texture.

This cake is excellent for the young and old, due to one of the main ingredients used-walnut. This nut becomes popular for it's effect in nourishing the brain & nervous system. If you scrutinize properly, this exotic nut in fact looks remarkably like a mini human brain. No wonder the Chinese always believes that if we take a type of food that resembles a certain organ of our body, it will nourish that particular organ.
Walnut is rich in Omega 3 & 6 which are good fats that help in lifting up your mood and helpful to balance up hormones and the growth of nervous system. I have heard that eating 2 walnuts a day is the beauty tip shared by the most beautiful Indian beauty queen- Aishwarya Rai. So, whoever desires for a beautiful complexion, youthful brain and body, you may indulge yourself with this tiny brain food by trying this recipe out for a start!

Ingredients:
250g butter
120g castor sugar/brown sugar
4 eggs
125 g plain flour
125 g wholemeal flour
3 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 apple, chopped into small pieces
1/2 pear, chopped into small pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
Half a cup/4 tbsp hot water

Methods:

1. Sift both the flour with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon powder for it to mix well and make the flour more airy.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Gradually beat in egg, one at a time.
4. Beat in the flour using low speed.
5. Mix in chopped walnuts and fruits.
   
6. Lastly, stir in the hot boiling water to make a soft dropping consistency.
7. Preheat oven to 180C. Bake for 30 minutes.

Learnings:

1. I have substituted part of the flour to wholemeal flour to provide the fiber that are essential to enhance our bowel movement.
   
2. The fat contained in walnut is also an excellent natural laxative. Combining the apple and pear, this cake is in fact designed for anyone who wish to detox their system.
   
3. Do not discard the brans from the wholemeal flour. Sifting the flours is to incorporate more air to the flour so that the cake texture will not become lumpy.
4. While the fruits are rather acidic, half a tsp of soda powder is to neutralize the acidic effect. Do not put too much baking soda as it will make the cake bitter.
5. If you wish to omit the wholemeal flour, you may substitute all the flour and baking powder with self-raising flour.
6. Make sure all the eggs are in room temperature for better result. Anyway, if time does not permit you to leave the eggs in room temperature, you just need to warm them with a bowl of luke warm water before using.
7. I have experimented with 2 types of fruits. The pear gives a softer texture. As only half a pear is used, therefore suggested to call it an apple walnut cake.
   

Do not fold in all the nuts. Left some to sprinkle on top of the cake. Do not ground the nuts. Only chop it coarsely as not to lose the chewy effect.








This cake is crumbly because of the brans from the wholemeal flour as well as the coarsely chopped walnuts. Anyway, the pear and apple cubes which have been soften by the heat while baking provide enough moisture to the cake. The aroma from cinnamon make it best to serve warm with tea or coffee. Yummy!