A soft and moist cake with a hidden fruit filling will make any day better. Especially if said cake is easy to make and can also do double duty as dessert. This surprise center cake is a one bowl wonder and can make friends with many fillings. It is a great way to use leftover fresh apples, pears, peaches or even the tinned variety. Don’t stop there – why not add some dark chocolate to the pears or some tart jam to the apples. The main thing to bear in mind is that the filling must not be too wet.
Apples and apricot jam are readily available in most kitchens. If you have some run-down apples or pears lying around, then give them another dazzling life within this cake.
Another great easy- to-use filling, especially during Christmas, is fruit mince. Use about half a cup and proceed exactly as listed below. Replace the apples and jam and use only the fruit mince.
INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE
- 125 g room-temperature butter
- 3/4 c caster sugar
- 3/4 c cake flour
- 1/2 c self raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c milk
FILLING
- 1/2 c cooked or tinned apples or pears (see below)
- 2 TBS apricot jam
- 1 tsp of icing sugar for dusting
COOKED APPLES OR PEARS
- 3 medium sized apples, skinned and cored
- 2 tsps sugar
- juice of half a lemon
METHOD TO COOK APPLES
- Cut each apple into 8-10 small chunks and add to a small saucepan.
- Add the sugar and lemon juice and over a medium heat cook the fruit for about 10 minutes, till the fruit pieces still hold their shape but are slightly softened. Be sure to stir the fruit every 2-3 minutes while cooking.
- Set fruit aside to cool and drain out any excess fluid. Much of the juices will evaporate while cooking anyway. Or you can pat the fruit dry with some kitchen paper.
- Set aside to cool and start making the cake.
METHOD TO MAKE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and arrange oven rack in the middle.
- Grease a 20 cm ring pan or a 20 cm loose-bottomed pan well.
- Measure out all the ingredients and add them to a medium sized mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl.
- Using an electric beater or stand mixer beat ingredients, first on low speed for. a minute, and then on medium-to-high for about 2-3 minutes. The mixture will be pale, smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl so all ingredients are mixed and well incorporated.
- Add 2/3 ‘s of the mixture to the greased pan and spread to form an even layer.
- Add fruit pieces in a single layer over cake batter.
- Use a spoon and mix the apricot jam for a minute until it is smooth and runny.
- Drizzle the jam over the apples keeping any jam away from the sides of the pan.
- Dollop the remaining cake mixture over the fruit/jam filling and lightly smooth over to cover the filing.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the cake is puffed up and a deep golden brown colour. If the top is browning too quickly, place a piece of foil over the top of the cake pan.
- Remove cake once done and leave to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
- Use a spatula and slide gently between the sides of the cake pan and the cake – to gently release the cake just in case some leaked jam is holding the sides of the cake to the pan.
- Turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Once cool, lightly sift over a teaspoon of icing sugar.
