Apple Kuchen (D-F)

"Oh my goodness, this is delicious Charlotte!" is always a promising response to get from your mother when you try and bake something new, I told you about the brownies H made for us when we went round, in my post before last, but I didn't tell you as much as I should have about the second pudding, kuchen.

It's sort of a extra special, extra large hot cross bun.
Heavenly soft dough, dotted with raisins, topped with crunchy sugar encrusted apples.
It's amazing, and you'll love it.

Use any hot cross bun dough, I used this dairy free one:

180ml soy milk

5 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2x 7g sachets yeast

80g raisins

2 large eggs, beaten

1 egg white

405g strong white bread flour

Topping, taken from Nigella:

1 large egg, beaten

a grating of nutmeg, I added about 1cm grated nutmeg

2 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks

1 tablespoon demerera sugar

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Icing:

75g icing sugar

1 tablespoon hot water

Oven: 180C

Combine the soy milk, honey and sugar in a saucepan over low heat so that it's just warmed and has combined completely.

Pour it into a bowl, add the yeast and allow it to rest for 5 mins or until bubbles form on the surface.

Mix in the eggs and add the flour and raisins slowly, a bit at a time.

Knead the dough until it becomes elastic.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 mins, knead again (knock it back), transfer it to the tin you want to bake it in, I suggest a roasting tin, and allow it to rise for another half an hour, if you want to do it overnight, clingfilm it, then put it in the fridge overnight and take it out an hour before you want to use it.

To make the all important topping, beat a large egg mixed with the nutmeg and brush the dough with it.

Scatter the chopped apples, sprinkle the sugars and allspice.

Bake for 15 mins at 200C then at 180C for another 15.

When it comes out, drizzle with the icing for extra deliciousness!

I made this for when my Godmother, mum and Josh took me up to uni as a road trip snack, Josh and I positioned ourselves well so that we had it in the middle of us.

It turned out that everyone goes the same way to Canterbury Christchurch, on the same day, so this meant traffic, which meant bored kuchen photos...

Then we battled it out on candy crush.

Emily's Banana Bread

So, I know I haven't blogged in a while but I've done two out of three exams and the last one is next Friday (revision is next week's problem) so I'm just easing myself back into my routine.
One of my favourite bloggers, Emily, posted this recipe and after spying it and feeling envious on Instagram, I had to make my own loaf, and then show you all.

Whilst the cake was baking, the whole house filled with its delicious aroma, and that, in my opinion, is how you can tell that it's going to be a good cake.

I lurked around the oven for the last 10 mins, yanking it out when the timer went, then, my sister and I descended. Hindsight has taught me that it's probably a good idea to let it cool a bit before slicing it open, because the break in the crust sort of broke, but that doesn't affect the taste, so it doesn't matter.

Lucy had to make do with grated chocolate on hers because we couldn't find any Nutella, and I went for a naked slice (the crust obviously, the best bit).

 

 

 

Oh my goodness, you have to make this because a) if you need comfort food it's the most homely thing b) it's the best banana bread I've ever tasted.

I'm finishing this post off so I can charge back downstairs for my 4th slice...