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Apple and Walnut Plumcake

17/11/2023

I can provide you with the recipe for the apple and walnut plumcake with an Italian twist. The plumcake, well known as a dessert of Anglo-Saxon origin, can be enriched with ingredients typical of the Italian confectionery tradition like, for example, using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for a lighter and more Mediterranean version. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe apples (preferably rennet or golden varieties)
  • 150 g of granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 200 g of type 00 flour
  • 100 g of coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 80 ml of extra virgin olive oil (or 100 g of melted butter)
  • 1 sachet of baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (optional)
  • Powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and prepare a plumcake mold by buttering and flouring it or lining it with parchment paper.
  2. Peel the apples, remove the core, and cut them into small cubes.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until a fluffy mixture is obtained.
  4. Add the extra virgin olive oil (or the melted and cooled butter) and mix well.
  5. Add the sifted flour, salt, baking powder, and, if you like, the cinnamon. Mix gently to avoid deflating the mixture.
  6. Incorporate the apples and chopped walnuts, distributing the ingredients evenly in the batter.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared mold and level the surface with a spatula.
  8. Bake the plumcake for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Take the plumcake out of the oven and let it cool in the mold for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Before serving, you can dust the surface of the plumcake with powdered sugar.

Interesting Facts

The term “plumcake” comes from “plum cake,” which originally referred to a British dessert full of raisins (the “plums” in English). Over time, the term has been adopted for a variety of baked goods in the form of bread, and they do not necessarily contain plums. The touch of apples and walnuts, however, allows us to create a blend of sweet flavors and crunchy textures, typical of many Italian preparations based on fruit and nuts.