from my orchid kitchen

This cake is full of textures and flavor with each bite, moist by the presence of apples and raspberries and crunchy due to the slightly toasted nuts by the oven's heat.

The recipe for these cake squares had already been tried and shared on the old blog about 6 years ago, and I almost forgot about it.

However, I found it again and thought it's a nice suggestion to share at this time of the year when the first nuts start to appear, and when there is a lot of apples to savour.

The ingredients

• Eggs - serve to bind all the ingredients of these squares.
• Self-raising flour - if only all-purpose flour is available, just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe. For a gluten-free version, just use a gluten-free flour mix.
• Cornstarch - the original recipe mentioned cornmeal, but as there are two fruits that will release moisture when cooking, I decided to use corn starch to counteract this situation.
• Sugar and brown sugar - this apple and raspberry cake doesn't use much sugar, since it also takes advantage of the sweetness of the fruit, and because the topping also has sugar as an ingredient. I decided to use brown sugar in the nut topping, as it gives this crumble a slight caramel flavor. As I am a fan of these sugars with stevia, I reduced even more the amount of sugar (but without compromising the sweetness!)
• Butter - the presence of butter essentially gives it a flavor that goes very well with the one of apple and also with the topping.
• Oil - the other source of fat in this cake is oil, and I preferred a neutral one like grape seed, but coconut oil is also a good option. Despite being in small quantities, it also helps to keep the cake moist and leaven when baking.
• Milk - any type of milk can be used, and in this case, the one chosen was almond milk.
• Apple - any variety of apple will do, and I've tried the Fuji and Golden varieties.
• Raspberries - in cakes or muffins, it is always better if we choose the smallest fruits as they are better distributed throughout the cake. If you prefer, the raspberries can be replaced by blueberries or a mix of the 2 fruits. I used frozen raspberries, and as such, they should only be added right at the end of the preparation so that they don't thaw and fall apart.
• Cinnamon and Vanilla - in the recipe I was inspired by, the aromas used were vanilla and also lemon zest. However, since it's an apple cake, I replaced the zest with some cinnamon. If you don't want to use cinnamon, you can always use lemon or orange zest (about 1 teaspoon).

How to make

• You start by preparing the topping of the cake, chopping the walnuts into pieces that are not too small (personally I prefer to do it with the knife, but you can use the food processor/robot in the pulse function).
• The other ingredients in the icing are butter (preferably at room temperature or slightly melted) and sugar, which must be well beaten together before adding the chopped walnuts.
• After the icing is prepared, it is set aside because it will only be needed before the cake is placed in the oven.
• The cake is made by mixing the flour together with the baking powder, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
• The apple is peeled and pitted, then grated in thin strips using a mandolin, or in the food processor. Reserve.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the butter and oil until the sugar is well dissolved.
• Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beating well after each addition.
• Add the milk and vanilla little by little and mix the flour in the mixture.
• Finally, add the previously grated apple and then the raspberries, wrapping without beating too much.
• Place the cake dough on a previously greased tray (mine is 26x20 cm).
• The walnut, butter, and brown sugar topping is then distributed over the preparation (it's easier and faster to do it with your hands) and press slightly to adhere to the dough.
• It's placed in the oven at 175ºC between 45 to 50 minutes (although it is a shallow cake, it contains many moist ingredients, so it takes a little longer in the oven).

Apple raspberry walnut squares recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs
125 gr of self-raising flour
30 gr of cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
40 gr of butter
1 tablespoon of oil
100 gr of sugar
80 ml of milk (of any kind)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 grated apple (approx. 1 cup)
30 small raspberries
Pinch of salt

Topping
30 gr of butter
50 gr of brown sugar
100 gr of walnuts

1. Chop the walnuts coarsely.
2. In a bowl, mix the butter (at room temperature) with the brown sugar, and the walnuts. Reserve.
3. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
4. Peel the apple, remove the seeds and grate it.
5. In another bowl, beat the sugar with the butter and oil.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time.
7. Add the milk and vanilla.
8. Gradually wrap the flour mixture in the preparation.
9. Finally, add the grated apple and then the raspberries.
10. Pour everything onto a greased baking tray.
11. Distribute the walnut, butter and brown sugar mixture over the preparation.
12. Bake at 175ºC for 45 to 50 minutes.

Adapted from "Pecan-berry coffee cake" / Originally posted in 2014