An explosion of flavour – that’s a Pink Lady® apple. Even when cooked or baked, the sweet flavour remains prominent and the skin rosy. Try this delicious Pink Lady® apple and almond cake with coconut meringue to satisfy the whole family’s tastebuds – go on and taste the Wow! Makes 1 x 20 cm cake

Ingredients

2 extra-large eggs, separated
100 g (100 ml) soft butter
125 ml (½ cup) castor sugar
100 g (1 cup) ground almonds
375 ml (1½ cups) cake flour
7,5 ml (½ tbsp) baking powder
125 ml (½ cup) ricotta cheese
15 ml (1 tbsp) finely grated lemon rind
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla essence
1–2 Pink Lady apples in the skin, cored and thinly sliced

For the meringue

100 ml light brown sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
180 ml (¾ cup) coconut shavings (see tip)
Another Pink Lady apple in the skin, cut into thin wedges

Method

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line and lightly grease the base of a 20 cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Place egg yolks with all the ingredients, except the apples, in a large mixing bowl.
3. Beat well with an electric beater until a soft, but firm batter forms. Be careful not to over mix. Crumble or dollop half the batter into the tin with a spoon or your fingertips and gently flatten. It may look too chunky or too little, but it will spread as it bakes.
4. Pack apple slices in a single layer, slightly overlapping, on the batter. Crumble or place spoonful of the remaining batter in a similar way over the apples and spread evenly.

Meringue:

1. Place egg whites in a clean glass bowl and beat with an electric beater until foamy. Add brown sugar and lemon juice or vinegar and beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Gently fold two-thirds of the coconut, with a large metal spoon, into the egg whites – take care not to ‘flatten’ the meringue. Keep as much of the air bubbles in the mixture as possible.
3. Spoon dollops of meringue on to the batter and fluff with a fork or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining coconut over and gently pack sets of 3–4 apple slices into the meringue.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, reduce the heat to 160 °C and bake for another 20–30 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and the cake is baked. Use a cake tester to make sure that all the layers are baked through. If the meringue becomes too dark, loosely cover with a piece of baking paper.
5. Allow cake to cool for a few minutes and then carefully remove from the tin, by lifting or loosening the base from the ring. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tips:

1. Substitute coconut shavings with 80 ml desiccated coconut. Or use a mixture of both for an interesting texture.
2. If you don’t have a loose-bottom cake tin: cut two large pieces of baking paper and fold to form two long strips. Place strips in the bottom of the tin and then line with a circle of baking paper. Once baked, carefully loosen and lift the cake, by means of the two paper strips. Don’t make the part that you hold on to too long, as it may burn in the oven.
3. Use smooth, low-fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Created by: Heleen Meyer

TASTE THE WOW

Pink Lady® apples are allowed to linger longer on their trees to absorb more of nature’s goodness and develop their characteristic radiance and sweet refreshing taste. Pink Lady® is the perfect healthy snack: portable, palatable, and pretty! They are rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, and because of their natural sweetness, they taste great in recipes too! Pink Lady® apples are a premium apple so only the highest quality can become a Pink Lady®. We go to great lengths to ensure we deliver you only the finest apples available.

Pink Lady® apples are available at Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths stores nation-wide.

Website: https://www.pinklady.co.za/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinkLadyApplesSA/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/pink_lady_apples_sa