Here in the UK it's national baking week (19th - 25th October). So I thought I'd share a link to my current favourite cake recipe - Dorset Apple Cake.
It's the perfect autumn cake made with fresh-from-the-tree apples (I'm very lucky that our neighbours share their apple harvest with us).
I like to add 1 heaped tablespoon of mixed spice (cinnamon, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger and cloves) to the recipe which gives it a wonderful smell.
What's your favourite thing to bake?
Cupcakes! I got the Australian Women's Weekly cupcake cookbook for Christmas last year and I am baking my way through it. My favourite so far has been the mint-choc mudcake cupcakes - yum!
Posted by: Kate | October 20, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Oh gosh, my favourite thing is whatever I've most recently had success with! Right now that's a train cake I made with one of those fancy shaped moulds and then with sweets stuck all over it. But if you forced me to name one, it would be an elderflower and gooseberry Victoria sponge. Though there is a lot to be said for really chocolatey cookies sandwiched with butter icing. Yum!
Posted by: dottycookie | October 20, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Oh Im from the UK and I didnt know about national baking week, it gives me a great excuse to bake some lemon cakes now! I have quite a few favorites to bake, home baked biscuits are the best and I really love a homemade victoria sponge with raspberry jam and butter cream filling and a bar of cadburys chocolate melted on top of the cake. yum!
Posted by: Patchouli Memories | October 20, 2009 at 01:05 PM
I've been doing a little of baking with my 2 year old this past week, mainly due to a new CBeebies programme called 'I can cook'. We made Melting moments (see my blog) on Thursday and a banana bread on Sunday. She loves it, although I don't like the cleaning afterwards :o)
Posted by: Esther | October 20, 2009 at 01:21 PM
Oooh Julie -- that looks yummy! My favorite things to bake are cookies and cupcakes. I do love cakes too though. Ok, I just love to bake!
Posted by: Thimbleanna | October 20, 2009 at 01:27 PM
oh I do love Dorset Apple Cake. I have spent the morning baking for tomorrow's 'Farewell to Vicar Anne' tea party at school.
I also own the A.W.W. cupcakes cookbook and am in love with teh rapsberry and coconut cake.
Posted by: trashalou | October 20, 2009 at 01:31 PM
Baking, just baking, makes me feel good. Cakes, bread, biscuits, make me smile inside, even like looking at the finished products on a plate.Apple Dorset Cake is lovely as a pudding with double cream. Sigh!
Posted by: Annie | October 20, 2009 at 01:39 PM
I'm french and i live in Italy, my favourite thing to bake is "Pain d'epices"
The recipe is on my blog (in italian, sorry)
Ciao, ciao!
Posted by: eli | October 20, 2009 at 01:40 PM
What a gorgeous autumnal recipe - thank you for the link.
Nina x
Posted by: Nina - Tabiboo | October 20, 2009 at 01:55 PM
yum, just made some cheese scones to go with my hearty autumnal soups that seem to be on the boil everyday at the mo...
Posted by: suzie sews | October 20, 2009 at 02:00 PM
I made a quiche for the first time on Sunday and it was so easy and delicious- it became my new favorite! Ham, spinach, and cheddar for the add-ins and all from scratch, so it wasn't anything too fancy or unusual. I'll be making one again soon, I think.
Posted by: Sam | October 20, 2009 at 02:25 PM
Hi
My favorite thing to bake the pie banana, the banana is a fruit typical and abundant here in Brazil, and my mom makes a pie WONDERFUL!
Congratulations on your blog, I'm a fan of your work, thanks for sharing such beautiful things!
A big hug
Posted by: Glaucia | October 20, 2009 at 02:29 PM
Lovely cake. I love making lentil stew with vegetables and home made dumplings.
Posted by: Zoe | October 20, 2009 at 03:23 PM
That looks so delicious! I love to bake anything and everything. I'm co-chair at our school bake sale, so I guess I'll be doing a lot of cupcakes in the next couple of weeks - but that's okay, they'll all be different and festive too!
S.W.A.K.
Posted by: Marsha | October 20, 2009 at 04:28 PM
My favorite thing to bake is Apple Caramel Brownie - Y.U.M.! The recipe is here: http://imagine-dream-create.blogspot.com/2007/01/blog-candy_27.html
Posted by: Cindy | October 20, 2009 at 04:32 PM
My favourite this autumn is the Barefoot Contessa's date nut spice bread. I just made it this afternoon for the second time in less than a month! http://dinnerdujour.org/2009/09/29/autumn-fish-stew-and-date-nut-spice-bread/
Posted by: Kristin | October 20, 2009 at 05:30 PM
oh, I have just taken some pumpkin muffins out of the oven, they are a favourite right now.
Posted by: Samantha | October 20, 2009 at 06:50 PM
Now that looks DELISH. I had no idea it was National Baking Week, and I'm a die-hard cake lover/baker!
Posted by: Emma | October 20, 2009 at 07:00 PM
I cooked my Christmas cake at the weekend - it's a Fig and Honey Christmas cake - very big - I think we'll have to start eating it early
Posted by: Sarah Jayne | October 20, 2009 at 07:58 PM
I love baking although like many of your readers I didn't know it was baking week. I love baking Canadian Brownies. They are really easy and smell amazing when they are in the oven. They are the perfect treat to cheer you up or for bringing round to friends. Thanks for the link to the Dorset Cake though, I will definitely be trying that out.
Posted by: Siona Karen | October 20, 2009 at 08:30 PM
Scones! To be served with lashings of cream and jam and a big cup of tea, my perfect afternoon i think.
I do love my mum's apple pie, but i have never been very good at pastry, maybe apple cake will be the way forward, i shall have to try it :)
Posted by: Georgina | October 20, 2009 at 09:17 PM
This cake looks delicious and I love to bake apple desserts! However, after taking a peak at the recipe, and being from the US, I'm not sure what the two different sugars are. I'm not that experienced when it comes to different ingredients. Something new to learn about! :)
Posted by: Ramie | October 20, 2009 at 10:46 PM
favourite are these seasonal muffins at the moment with damsons fresh from the tree (all picked now so the fruit for the next batch will have to be fresh from the freezer!)
http://nipitinthebud.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/making-damson-muffins/
Nic x
Posted by: Nic @ nip it in the bud | October 20, 2009 at 11:56 PM
Scones! Love them all. Cheese, fruit, cherry and almond, any kind really.
That cake looks delicious. Love the Bramleys cooking apples.
Posted by: w | October 21, 2009 at 12:49 AM
My favourite recipe is a basic victoria sponge made into a lemon drizzle cake in a loaf tin.All the lads at work go mad about it.The Sgt keeps finding an excuse for me to make it.Unfortunately ,:),his trousers split the other day.He blamed it on bad stitching!!!
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=546008434 | October 21, 2009 at 07:32 AM
MY FAVOURITE OUR SCONES,LEMON CAKE JUST LOVE THEM.
Posted by: G K JONES | October 21, 2009 at 10:01 AM
A lady brought in a bag of fresh picked apples and I took 2 home and made Apple Dumplings. Recipe found at the URL link below. I had my coworkers eating out of my hand the next day. It was amazing!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/
Posted by: Patricia Dubreuil - Toronto Canada | October 21, 2009 at 11:31 AM
I didn't know it was Baking Week either! I'm very fickle with my favourites, but at the moment it is the Banana Loaf from The Hummingbird Bakery book. Oh, and Rachel Allen's Blondies!
Posted by: Dragonfly | October 21, 2009 at 12:14 PM
That looks like a mighty fine piece of cake! My sister is the baker in my family, I'll be sure to let her know about Baking Week and I'll aim to post my favourite recipe - Baklava - on beSottied.
Happy cake-eating =)
Posted by: Emily | October 21, 2009 at 01:07 PM
Hi, I love following your blog for so many reasons. ( knitting, photography, your sense of humor, and your eloquent ability to write).
I did want to know, do you ever put a notification when you are putting items up for sale. I never fall upon the "just right moment!"
Thanks for the recipe too. I want to make that tomorrow.
God bless, and have a wonderful rest of the week
Cindy
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1322685579 | October 21, 2009 at 04:11 PM
I think that could very easily become one of my favourite things to bake!
Posted by: Gina | October 21, 2009 at 04:33 PM
ooh that looks a lovely cake - and i have some apples need using so i might be trying this out at the weekend! my fave cake is a chocolate spice cake - mmmmmm
Posted by: annie2006 | October 21, 2009 at 06:14 PM
Mmmmmmm yummy, I love apple cake
My favourite recipe is flapjack with added apricots
Posted by: Jackie | October 21, 2009 at 07:40 PM
Little ginger buns. Julie I am trying unsuccessfullly to buy the little hedgehog pattern. I am getting emails from etsy saying I need to pay but it closes on me when I try to! I know this is probably not your problem but I thought you ought to know. Thanks
Posted by: Pantha | October 21, 2009 at 09:11 PM
This apple cake looks soooooooo yummy!
Mam made a apple crumble last week that was lovely too with custard
nice warming food since it's turned so cold
luv kat x
Posted by: Kat | October 21, 2009 at 11:53 PM
I bet your house smelled really great! I like to make spice cakes and give them away. You have gotten me in the spirit to do just that. Thanks.
Posted by: Jill Mann | October 22, 2009 at 07:02 PM
Hi, Today was hubby's birthday, and I had been busy all day with no time to bake. But I remembered reading this blog and looked at the recipe for the Dorset apple cake. Thought I'd try it, it was not any trouble to make, and boy is it Yummy. In fact, it's probably the yummiest apple cake I've ever had.Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Posted by: Ger | October 22, 2009 at 10:03 PM
These all sound so delicious and the photo of the apple cake is wonderful! There's just one problem: I'll have to figure out the measurement conversions and what temperature to bake it on in my stove in Oregon, USA!
Blessings,
Dianne
Posted by: Dianne | October 23, 2009 at 05:41 AM
How lovely does your baking look Julie? Now for your question? Favourite thing to bake....my mum's apple pie receipe. Only because it's also my favourite thing to eat! Most recently it's been jam drops and carmel slice around here.
Posted by: Jenny | October 23, 2009 at 09:21 AM
I can't stop making fruit bread at the moment - I took a few shortcuts when I first started making it with dried yeast and no kneading - but waiting for the fresh yeast to rise and kneading the dough are the best bits now!
Whenever I used to look for fruitbread in the shops they had always run out - now I can make my own whenever I like :)
Posted by: Jo Anglezarke | October 23, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Also - apple crumble - made with bramleys of course - oh and bread and butter pudding with the zest of lemon and orange...mmmm...:)
Posted by: Jo Anglezarke | October 23, 2009 at 02:07 PM
I have just recently started baking bread. It has fast become my favorite thing to bake. I think my friends are getting tired of me giving them loaves of bread but I can't help myself.
Posted by: Jill Mann | October 23, 2009 at 03:03 PM
Thanks, didn't know about National Baking Week. Made the Apple Cake and some Apple Muffins last night and took into school for our Inset Day today. Have loads of apples from garden. Went down very well at coffee time.
Posted by: Karen | October 23, 2009 at 06:02 PM
Mmmm...that cake looks yummy!! I've used cardomom in baking before, but never caraway! I'll have to try that!!! Cheers!
Mary Ann
Posted by: Mary Ann | October 23, 2009 at 09:47 PM
Hi Julie, Hope you are having a great day! I am on a cupcake knitting binge.....I love adding the seeded beads. The look is beautiful but I find it very difficult because I have to use such an incredibly small need to go through the bead. I want to make some with bugle beads and I am afraid that may be next to impossible. Do you use a needle? I just checked the pattern to see if you had any additional hints regarding this. You mentioned that you use strong button thread, is that by itself or with a needle? I would appreciate your help with suggestions. I realize you are a busy, busy Mom along with all that wonderful knitting, baking and gardening.
Thanks for all of your great work and the sharing!!!
Patty
jnp1982@msn.com
Posted by: Patty Pierce | October 23, 2009 at 10:28 PM
if this apple cake is the one from the good housekeeping cookbook, then this is one of my favourites too. it's so delicious
Posted by: joanne wardle | October 24, 2009 at 06:13 AM
You have a fabulous blog ! Thank you also for the free patterns they are really good and I look forward to knitting a few. Thank you. Charlie
Posted by: Charlie | October 24, 2009 at 09:18 AM
I love dorset apple cake - will have to try it with your spice mix. My favourite thing to bake at the moment is gooey chocolate cheesecake cupcakes, mmmmmm sooo good!
Posted by: Tracey | October 24, 2009 at 02:30 PM
My favourite is French Lemon Pie. And since it's my Man's favourite, I try to make it as often as possible. It's quite time-consuming, since I ususally make the doguh the day before I'm baking the cake. I think it's quite old fashioned, and in fact. I'm quite proud of being old fashioned in a least one way :-)
Have a nice evening
Best wishes
Inga
Posted by: Inga Helene | October 24, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Thanks for the link! We'd just stewed a large pan of our apples, but they were still quite firm. So I used those in the cake, rather than start afresh. It turned out really well, I don't think pre-cooked apple made any difference.
Fran
Posted by: Fran | October 25, 2009 at 07:34 PM