LOML is the ultimate present giver. Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Justbecauses, you name it and I'm being indulged in loveliness. I madly drop hints all year, of course, but there is always a little surprise or two that just make me go 'wow'. Little gifts so perfectly me that it brings a tear to my eye. I've also been whisked off for weekends, topped up with luxury knickers and indulged in hot stone massages. One year it was a little note offering me a cleaner for a year (turned out me plus cleaner equals disaster, but more on this in a later post.) LOML's track record was flawless.
It all came undone with the Australian Family Favourites Cookbook (AFFC).
I'm spoilt, I know. But the AFFC was not a mother's day present. It wasn't even a birthday present. It was a present for our 7th wedding anniversary and it made me go 'hurumph'. To me, that cookbook represented the abrupt halt of wooing. Suddenly, I was just the wife who cooked (presumably family favourites). I was so disappointed. Do you know what I mean?
Needless to say, LOML was back in fine form for our 8th wedding anniversary this year and the AFFC has become, well, a favourite. It's just the handiest cookbook ever. All the stuff you remember your mum making is in it plus most of the staples of today's kitchen. Pizza, Sausage Hotpot, Chinese Noodles, Meat Loaf, Butter Chicken, Nicoise Salad. It would have made the ultimate
mother's day present.
Here's the Apple Teacake recipe from the book. It's dead easy and so divine. The yoghurt makes it moist and fool-proof. Crumbs is what's left every time.
Crumby Apple Teacake
130g unsalted butter, chopped
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
3/4 cup vanilla-flavoured yoghurt
1 granny-smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground sugar
20g extra butter
1/4 cup extra caster sugar
Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
Beat 130g butter and 3/4 cup caster sugar until light and creamy.
Gradually add the egg, beating well after each addition until combined. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour, then the yoghurt and stir until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.
Arrange the apple slices over the mixture in a circular pattern starting from the centre. Mix the cinnamon and 1/4 cup extra caster sugar together and sprinkle over the top. Melt the 20g extra butter and drizzle over the top.
Bake for 1 hour (here the recipe mentions the clean skewer thing but I don't own a metal skewer so I don't bother.) Leave in the tin for 30 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
Delish!
