The weather is definitely feeling autumnal and therefore I started by making the Pear & Ginger Flapjacks.
Despite the recipe being quick and easy, I was not very happy with the results. Even though the flavour was really good, I just found the consistency too soft and crumbly. I even baked the mixture for an extra 20 minutes!
The problem may lie with the addition of the fresh, grated pear. I think this makes too moist a flapjack for me. My family prefer a stickier, chewier flapjack.
I ended up improvising and turning the flapjacks into granola, by breaking up the flapjacks, adding a few tablespoons of honey and then baking in one layer in the oven for 30 minutes.
As the flapjack recipe was not a major success, I then went on to bake the Caramel Apple Cake.
Again the recipe was very easy, but the results much better. The apple was evenly distributed throughout the cake and the cake cut well.
The final cake was perfect for an Autumn day, lots of warming cinnamon plus sweet caramel, tempered by the sharpness of the Bramley apple. The crunchy demerara sugar on the top added another texture, which complimented the soft sponge.
This is the type of cake that you could have warm with some custard or cold with a cup of tea.
** NEXT MONTH **
There are a couple of baking opportunities in October.
We have the Pop-in Lunch on Thursday 3 October. Hot puddings are needed to be served to the diners. Traditional puddings like fruit crumbles, apple pie or bread & butter pudding go down well. If you are able to provide a pudding, or help in any way, please contact Sorrel.
On Wednesday 16 October we have our monthly meeting. This month is our Birthday meeting and we will be providing homemade cake for all of the attendees. If you can make a cake or tray bake, please contact Liz, letting her know how many people your baked item will cater for.
I intend on making a simple vanilla tray bake to a Waitrose recipe. Click here for details.