Milopita - Apple Cake

Prep 45 minutes Cook 1½ hours Serves 6-8

Everyone needs a good apple cake in their sweets repertoire. I have been making this cake for a long time. I remember the first time Mum brought the recipe home from work - it must have been an exchange, as used to happen in the factories. I had forgotten it, and when Mum got sick I found it again in her recipe book. It holds a special place in my heart. 

Mum would often make it for me when I was studying for exams - Kathy Tsaples, Sweet greek

Ingredients

4-5 granny smith apples,
peeled, cored and cubed
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp plain flour
5 tbsp caster sugar
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp flaked almonds

Cake
3 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup orange juice
2½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sunflower oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts roughly chopped

Icing
2 cups icing sugar,
plus extra to serve
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Butter and flour
a 30 x15-centimetre rectangular cake tin.

Place the apples, cinnamon, flour, caster sugar and lemon juice
in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

To make the cake batter, mix the flour with the sugar, then stir
in all other ingredients, except the walnuts. Using a hand-held
mixer, beat until a smooth batter has formed, then stir in
the walnuts.

Pour half of the batter into the baking tin, then top with half
of the apple mixture. Pour the rest of the batter over the top,
followed by the remaining apple mixture. Sprinkle with the
brown sugar and flaked almonds.

Bake for 1½ hours. Check after 1 hour to see if a skewer comes
out clean. If not, leave another half hour. If the cake is browning
too quickly, cover with foil. When the cake is ready, remove from
the oven and cool on a cake rack.

Make the lemon icing by mixing the icing sugar with the lemon
juice to drizzling consistency, adding a little more lemon juice
if necessary. When the cake has cooled, use a fork to drizzle it
with the lemon icing, then dust with icing sugar.

This recipe was provided by Kathy Tsaples from her second cookbook Sweet Greek Life!
You can order from her menu available on Cookaborough below