Gateaux Recipes - Nut and Apple Gateau

Ingredients

• 115g/4oz pecan, nuts or walnuts, toasted

• 50g/2oz plain flour

• 10ml/2 tsp baking powder

• 1.5ml/1/4 tsp salt

• 2 large cooking apples

• 3 eggs

• 225g/8oz caster sugar

• 5ml/1 tsp vanilla essence

• 175ml/6fl oz whipping cream

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. line two 23cm/9in cake tins with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.

2. Finely chop the nuts. Reserve 25ml tbsp of them and place the rest in a mixing bowl. Sift over the flour, baking powder and salt and stir.

3. Peel and core the apples. Cut into 3mm dice, then stir into the flour mixture.

4. Beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat until ribbon trails form, about 8 minutes. Fold in the flour mixture.

5. Pour into the cake tins and bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

6. Whip the cream until firm. Use half for the filling. Pipe rosettes on the top and sprinkle over the reserved nuts.