Apple Patty Cakes

Hi, it’s Mel. I think I mentioned in my first post that I have a slight cookbook addiction and I own many cookbooks, some of them are quite old. My favourites do come from the Australian Women’s Weekly. Why is that so? I think because as a child, the Women’s Weekly cook book adorned my mother shelf and I think the magazine helped shape how we as a nation cooks. Why have I said all that? Because my next recipe comes from the Australian Women’s Weekly Cookery Book. You may recognize the title as the same one from which I made the Spiced Honey Cake. I do intend to post from a wider range of sources but I couldn’t resist these Apple Patty Cakes.

For those unfamiliar with a patty cake, it’s a small circular cake and is usually filled with jam. Patty Cakes create a wave of nostalgia for me; of childhood birthday parties with pin the tail on the donkey and jam filled patty cakes. The cakes are then baked in a special tin, not surprisingly called a patty cake tin

The cakes are simple to make. The first step involves placing the apple, the extra lemon rind sugar over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. You then set the mixture aside to cool as you prepare the patty cake batter.

Step two involves creaming the butter/margarine with the lemon rind. The egg is then beaten into the mixture.

The flour, corn-flour and baking powder are then folded in the butter mixture.

To make the patty cakes, the bottom half of the patty cake tin is filled with the batter, before a spoonful of the apple mixture is placed on top. You then add a another layer of the batter so the apple mixture is sandwiched between the two layers of cake batter. The tin is placed in a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

The recipe did call for icing which I omitted because I didn’t find it necessary but I did include it in the recipe below.

While overall I was pleased with the recipe and the cakes tasted lovely I found them to be a bit dense. I would probably reduce the amount of corn-flour when making them again to try and make them a little bit lighter.

Apple Patty Cakes

56g/2oz Butter or Margarine
56g/2oz Caster Sugar
1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Rind
56g/2oz Flour
56g/2oz Corn-Flour***
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large green apple
I extra tablespoon Sugar

Icing

Small quantity lemon flavoured icing
cinnamon

*** Next time I make them I would probably reduce the Corn-flour to 1oz and increase the flour to 3oz.

1. Preheat Oven to 400F/200C and grease the patty cake tin.
2. Peel, Core and Grate the apple. Place in a saucepan with pinch of lemon rind and I tablespoon of sugar. Stir over low hear until the sugar dissolved. Set aside to cool.
3. Cream the butter/margarine, sugar and the remaining lemon rind. Add egg and mix well.
4. Fold in the sifted flour, corn flour and baking powder.
5. Half fill greased patty cake tins with mixture, add a layer of cooled apple , fill up with cake mixture.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Optional: When cold, top with lemon flavoured icing and dust with cinnamon.