Makes one very large tin loaf or two smaller ones.
(I halved quantities to make a smaller loaf - I only have one loaf tin)
750 g apples, peeled and chopped (for 375g used 2 large apples)
250 g demerara sugar (125g white sugar)
250g raisins or chopped, mixed fruit (125g raisins mixed with candied peel)
100 g ground almonds (50g)
100g roughly chopped hazelnuts (50g)
1 large tbsp dark rum (1 tbsp Pimms)
1 tbsp cocoa powder (1/2 tbsp)
1 tsp cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
1 pinch of ground cloves (small pinch)
500 g plain flour (250g)
20 g baking powder (10g = 2/3 tbsp)
Mix the chopped apples with the sugar and dried fruit. Cover and leave to stand overnight or for at least 8 hours, so that the apples release juice.
Add the nuts, rum, cocoa and spices to the apple mixture and stir. Finally add the flour and baking powder and mix until all the flour has been absorbed. Add some extra liquid (water, rum, apple juice or tea) if the batter is too thick - it should be quite firm though. Spoon the batter into the tin(s). Bake at 180C / 350F for about one hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
The apple bread keeps fresh for a couple of weeks, but it should not be stored in plastic (tin foil or a tin is best).
Good stuff, as it should be with all those good things in it: a sum of its parts? I liked the minimalism of the method: just using the juice from the apples instead of fat and/or liquid. I wondered how the cocoa powder would be, if anything it's imperceptible: certainly not negative. The sum of its parts, but that's no bad thing. The half quantity made a good-sized loaf that took us a few days to get through with pretty intensive snacking from both of us: think the double quantity would be massive.
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