an apple, hazelnut and oat cake

I don’t have any tattoos although for a while I considered getting one. “What would it be?”Jenny asked. Like lightning, I felt an impulse… “a little tiny apple on my knuckle!”. No actual tattoo came out of it, but I do think about that spontaneous reply often. This simply to illustrate my love for apples and also this season. October is my favorite time of year when the bounty of summer collides with the preparation for winter. It is the nostalgia I feel for a childhood surrounded by apple and quince trees and rain boots.

Carolina, Jenny, Val and all our children packed a picnic and headed to Jones Creek Farmfor a day of apple picking.

A hot summer has resulted in an early apple season, so most of the apples have been picked by now. But it didn’t matter, kids ran in the field, swung around on tires and ate crunchy caramel apples. Sometimes we just need to run wild. And that tattoo… well, perhaps it will happen. But now I leave you with this cake – apples, hazelnuts and oats.

Apple, hazelnut and oat cake

makes one loaf cake

3/4 cup (105 g) superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (50 g) hazelnut flour
1/2 cup (60 g) oat flour
2 tablespoons oat bran, plus extra for topping
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole-milk sour cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 medium medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I use Reinettes but you can use Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonagold…)
2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease a loaf pan and line the edges with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the superfine brown rice flour, hazelnut flour, oat flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, sour cream, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk until the batter comes together. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Arrange the apple slices on top and sprinkle with a bit of oat bran and chopped hazelnuts.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully invert it onto a cooling rack and cool completely.