Fruity Cakes

Fresh fruit is great for any occasion. Add a few fruits to your baked items and you're sure to come up with a product that has a great taste.

Apple and Cranberry Upside down Cake

Topping:
50g butter
70g soft brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into thin rounds
25g dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Cake ingrdients:
175g unsalted butter
50g margarine
160g castor sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence 3 eggs
200g self-raising flour, sifted
40g dried cranberries

Grease a 20cm round baking tin. Put butter, soft brown sugar and cinnamon powder in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly. Pour the mixture over the base of the tin. Keep aside a few apple slices and arrange the rest on the base of the tin. Spread the chopped cranberries in between the apples. Leave aside.
Beat butter, margarine, sugar, salt and essence until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in sifted flour and stir in cranberries and the remaining apple slices to mix.
Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170 C and continue to bake for another 40 minutes.


Banana Chocolate Cake

200g ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
240g self-raising flour 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
185g butter
10g cake emulsifier
180g castor sugar
50ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Grease sides and line the base of a 20 cm round tin with baking paper; grease paper.
Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder together. Stir in salt to mix. Beat eggs, half the sugar and emulsifier until thick and fluffy, then add in mashed bananas to mix. Fold in sifted dry ingredients, blend well then stir in milk and essence.
Cream butter and remaining sugar until light. Add banana mixture and blend until well combined. Turn mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake in preheated oven at 170 C for 1 hour or until cooked through when a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cherry Almon Cake

130g plain flour
2/3 tsp baking powder
30g ground almonds
100g fresh cherries, pitted and halved
200g butter
155g castor sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
3 tbsp apricot brandy (optional)
Extra 7-8 fresh cherries, pitted and halved (to be used as topping)

Grease and line a 20 x 13 cm loaf pan with baking paper; grease paper. Preheat oven to 180 C.
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in ground almonds to mix.
Beat butter, sugar and essence until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in sifted flour mixture in two batches. Add apricot brandy to mix followed by the cherries. Use a spatula to combine.
Spread mixture into the prepared pan. Arrange extra halved cherries on the batter and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is cooked through.
Note: Apricot brandy can be replaced with milk or any fruit juice of your choice.