Remember Herman?
So, last Saturday, just in time for Easter, Herman the German was ready for baking. As there were 22 of hubby's immediate family gathered together for the holiday, a cake was definitely a welcome addition to our festivities, especially as it tasted wonderful! Moist and dense, the cake had a lovely, crunchy, salty-sweet crust on the top and lots of plump raisins and apple chunks throughout. It reminded me a bit of my Nana's apple cake, but it certainly took a lot more preparation time. Most of that time was just sitting around and waiting, stirring occasionally and adding a few basic ingredients every once in a while, but still, I'm not sure I'd bother with it again, unless, of course, someone gave me another batch! All that aside, the 22 of us made very short work of this Friendship cake, and I'm pretty sure it won me some brownie points!
The starter's all been used or passed on at this stage, but I can still spread the love by sharing the basic cake recipe as well as the changes I made to it with you. If you're really keen, you can always whip up your own Herman the German starter and share it out with your friends!
Herman the German Friendship Cake
Adapted from here
Use American measuring cups if you have them. Otherwise, pick out a medium size tea cup and use that. Exact size doesn't matter as much as long as you use the same cup for everything.
For the cake:
1/4 of a Herman the German Sourdough Starter (about 2 cups of batter)
2 cups of caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup stewed apple
1 cup raisins
2 heaped tsp cinnamon
2 heaped tsp baking powder
For the topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 170°. Grease and line with greaseproof paper a deep loaf pan or large square cake pan. Mix all of the cake ingredients together well, adding a bit of extra oil and/or stewed apple if the batter seems really thick or dry, and pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the melted butter and caster sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, at which point the cake will probably need to be covered with aluminum foil to prevent it from becoming too brown. It will need at least another 15-20 minutes in the oven (if not a bit more), but check it frequently so that it doesn't burn. It's done when a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool on a wire baking rack, then invert onto a plate and serve.
Enjoy!
xxTina
The starter's all been used or passed on at this stage, but I can still spread the love by sharing the basic cake recipe as well as the changes I made to it with you. If you're really keen, you can always whip up your own Herman the German starter and share it out with your friends!
Herman the German Friendship Cake
Adapted from here
Use American measuring cups if you have them. Otherwise, pick out a medium size tea cup and use that. Exact size doesn't matter as much as long as you use the same cup for everything.
For the cake:
1/4 of a Herman the German Sourdough Starter (about 2 cups of batter)
2 cups of caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup stewed apple
1 cup raisins
2 heaped tsp cinnamon
2 heaped tsp baking powder
For the topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 170°. Grease and line with greaseproof paper a deep loaf pan or large square cake pan. Mix all of the cake ingredients together well, adding a bit of extra oil and/or stewed apple if the batter seems really thick or dry, and pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the melted butter and caster sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, at which point the cake will probably need to be covered with aluminum foil to prevent it from becoming too brown. It will need at least another 15-20 minutes in the oven (if not a bit more), but check it frequently so that it doesn't burn. It's done when a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool on a wire baking rack, then invert onto a plate and serve.
Enjoy!
xxTina
Well it looks scrummy.... Di x
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmmm. Hooray for currying favour with the rellies
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it went down well with the rellies! Jxo
ReplyDelete