7 hours ago
1
Honey is, among other things, a successful embalming agent. It is also a humectant, which isn’t an eager cyborg, but one of many short-chained organic compounds that are hygroscopic, meaning they attract and hold water, which in turn prevents hardening and encourages softness. Other hardworking humectants are glycerine, which is what keeps face creams creamy and hydrating, and sorbitol, which ensures toothpaste can be squeezed and smeared all over the sink and on the mirror. Honey, though, is the humectant that’s most suitable for this week’s recipe: a one-bowl, everyday cake inspired by my neighbour’s Polish honey cake, miodownik, combined with the tortino di mele e papavero (apple and poppy seed cake) enjoyed at a station bar in Bolzano.
Not only does honey keep the cake moist, its sweetness comes largely from fructose, which is naturally sweeter than refined sugar, so the perception of sweetness is much greater even when less is added. I have suggested 160g, but adjust as you see fit. The small amounts of amino acids in honey also mean that the chemical Maillard reaction is more pronounced as the cake bakes, resulting in caramelisation and a crust the colour of chestnut, as well as a deep, nutty flavour. While I am sure all varieties of honey will work well, I can particularly recommend chestnut honey and Greek pine honey, both of which have complicated, almost malty notes that pair well with the apple and the pleasing, slightly bitter but also soil-like taste of poppy seeds.
When it comes to choosing the type of apple (for this, and generally), I hear Jane Grigson’s advice in her Fruit Book: avoid anything too shiny – bright red, shiny apples (tough skin and woolly flesh) or bright green, shiny apples (tough skin, sour flesh) – and instead remember that there are more than 3,000 varieties, so try as many as possible. As with honey, I think most good-tasting eating varieties will work here, but special mention must go to those with sweet but creamy, drier flesh: russets, cox’s orange pippin or mela annurca, a little Italian variety with speckled red skin. I don’t peel the apples for this – I like the colour and texture that the skin gives to the final cake – but if the skin seems annoying, do cut it off, then slice the fruit thinly by hand or with a mandoline.
The best way to test for doneness is to use a strand of raw spaghetti: stick it into the centre crack and it should come out relatively clean. Leave the cake to cool a little before lifting it out of the tin and leaving to cool a little more. Cut into thick slices and serve with a cup of tea and maybe a spoonful of thick cream sweetened (and turned every so slightly gold in colour) with a spoonful of honey.
Apple, honey and poppyseed cake
Make 1 22cm cake
100g room-temperature butter
8 tbsp (160g) honey
3 eggs
140ml whole milk
220g plain or wholemeal flour, or a mix of the two
5 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch fine salt
1 large (or 2 small) red apples, unpeeled, quartered, cored and cut into thin slices
4 tbsp demerara sugar
Using a whisk, beat the butter and honey to make a smooth cream, then beat in the eggs one by one. Add the milk, and whisk again until you have a smooth batter. Add the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and a pinch of salt, and mix well.
Add the apple slices, then scrape into a lined or buttered and floured 22cm baking tin and sprinkle the top with the demerara sugar. Bake in a 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer or strand of spaghetti comes out clean. The presence of honey means the cake will brown deeply, maybe before the batter has had a chance to cook though, so keep an eye and, if need be, cover the cake lightly with a foil tent for the last 15 minutes.
