Bramley Apple Bars

These yummy apple cake bars go great with a cuppa or in a lunch box.

The houses in our street were all built at different times. The earliest builds were at the bottom of the street and as the years went by, more houses were built further up the street until they got to the very end. The houses at the “top end” all have the most wonderful apple trees and I found out recently that that’s because there used to be an orchard there.

Alas, there’s no apple trees in our garden but lucky for me, my friends and neighbours have doubled up as apple dealers and have kept me stocked with an abundance of apples of all kinds and of all the apples I’ve had, I have to say Bramleys are my favourite!

I think it was because I had 14 years of Bramley-less-ness in Australia where I substituted Granny Smith’s in my apple baking recipes instead. I must add, this is no shade to the Grannys, they served me well and they bake brilliantly. However, given the choice between a Bramley and a Granny in a bake, I’ll go Bramley every time (mostly because the Bramleys are usually bigger, so they weigh more and that means less peeling!)

Of course, there’s only so much crumble one girl can eat so I decided to diversify with my abundance of apples and that’s how these Bramley apple bars came to be. They’re equally delicious enjoyed warm from the oven or when they’re completely cool.

They’re deliciously dense and marvellously moist and keep really well and are definitely more cakey in texture than spongy. It’s the chopped apple in the cake bars that give them such a terrific texture.

Talking of chopped apples, if you’re making these in the Thermomix, a rough chop of the apple will do and the thermie will do the rest. If you’re making these traditionally, you’ll have to give the apples a more thorough chopping!

If you had an abundance of apples what would you make? Is your home and/or street old or new?

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients

275g plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

150g butter, cold and chopped into small cubes

150g soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

450g Bramley apples, peeled and cored

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

How to – Traditional

1. Heat oven to 200C / 180C fan-forced. Grease a  18cm x 27cm pan and line with baking paper so that the paper just hangs out over the side. (This will make it much easier to remove the slice later!)
2. Put the flour and baking powder in a large bowl and add the chopped butter. Rub the butter and the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar and the cinnamon.
4. Finely chop the apples and add to the bowl.
5. Mix the egg and milk together in a cup and then add to the bowl and stir until combined.
6. Spread the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and well risen.
8. Take the tin out of the oven and while it’s hot, sprinkle over the demerara sugar,
9. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into 16 bars.

How to – Thermomix

1. Heat oven to 200C / 180C fan-forced. Grease a  18cm x 27cm pan and line with baking paper so that the paper just hangs out over the side. (This will make it much easier to remove the slice later!)
2. Place flour and baking powder in TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5.
3. Add the butter and mix for 10 seconds on reverse speed 4. The mixture should have the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
4. Roughly chop the apples and add them to the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Mix for 5 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl.
5. In a small cup, mix the egg and milk together and add to the TM bowl. Mix for 5-10 seconds on reverse speed 4 and if necessary mix for another 5 seconds on reverse speed 4 until well combined.
6. Spread the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and well risen.
8. Take the tin out of the oven and while it’s hot, sprinkle over the demerara sugar,
9. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into 16 bars.