Gluten and Lactose Free Apple Cake

Summary:

Serves 8

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Time: 30 mins

Background:

This is a really interesting surprisingly light apple cake, and really easy to make. It goes great served fresh and still hot and drenched in custard. A winter must. I dont know how long it stores for since it was all eaten within the day. I dont see any reason why you couldnt replace the apples with any other fruit. I might even try it again with summer fruits. 

Ingredients:

675g Golden Delicious Apples (But any will do) Peeled if preferred. These need to be cored and sliced.

1 lemon (Grated rind, and juice)

4 medium free range eggs

150g Caster Shugar

150g plain flour (gluten free plain sifted flower)

1 1/2 tsp Xanthum gum (not required if normal flower is used)

1 Pinch of salt

5ml (1 tsp) gluten free baking powder

115g Melted Soya Margarine (Plus extra for greasing)

1 1/2 tsp mixed spice

Vanilla icing sugar to sprinkle over the top

Lactose free Vanilla Custard (150ml per person)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Grease a 23cm baking tin, and line with grease proof paper.
3. Cut the apples into segments/slices. (Like in a chocolate orange).
4. Put apples in a bowl and cover with the lemon juice and lemon rinds. Make sure the apples are covered. This will shop them browning.
5. Put the Eggs, Sugar in a bowl and whisk until mousse like.
6. Sift the flower, xanthum gum, the baking powder, salt, mixed spice, over the egg mousse, and fold gently in with a large metal spoon. 
7. Slowly drizzle in the soya margarine from the side of the bowl and gently fold in.
8. Mix in the apples, lemon Juice, and Lemon Rind. 
9. Spoon into the tin and level the surface.
10. Bake for 40 minutes, until the cake browns on top and a skewer comes out clean.
11. Remove from oven and leave to settle for ten minutes before turning on a cooking rack to cool.
12. Serve hot. Decorate with icing sugar and a few lemon rinds.