"This loaf is delicious if eaten the day it's made, but even better left overnight before being iced and eaten," says Yu-Ching Lee. "An alternative to icing, if you're not that way inclined, is to serve it thickly sliced and toasted, with a little salted butter."
Mulled apple and spelt loaf
Yoghurt, apple sauce, nutmeg and cinnamon add up to one tasty package that's as good for breakfast as it is afternoon tea.
- 20 mins preparation
- 45 mins cooking plus cooling
- Serves 6 - 8
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Ingredients
- 100 gm unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 220 gm (1 cup) caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
- 50 gm Greek-style yoghurt
- 50 ml apple cider
- 200 gm unsweetened apple sauce (see note)
- ½ vanilla extract
- 210 white spelt flour
- ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp cardamom
- 40 gm coarsely chopped walnuts, plus extra to serve
- 30 gm dried apple, chopped
Apple icing
- 25 gm unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 125 gm pure icing sugar, sifted
- 20 ml apple cider
Method
- 1Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 23cm x 8cm loaf tin and line with baking paper. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until incorporated. Combine lemon rind, yoghurt, cider, apple sauce, vanilla and ¼ tsp sea salt flakes in a separate bowl, then fold into butter mixture. Sift in flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, fold to combine, then fold in walnut pieces and dried apple.
- 2Spread mixture evenly in tin and bake until a skewer inserted withdraws clean (45-50 minutes; cover with foil if browning too quickly). Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 2 hours).
- 3For apple icing, beat butter, icing sugar and ¼ tsp salt flakes in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add apple cider and beat until well incorporated. Spread icing over loaf and decorate with extra walnuts. Loaf will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
Unsweetened apple sauce is available from supermarkets.