If you’re a Karachi native, you know that October (autumn in the rest of the world) can be oppressively hot in the city by the sea, but what keeps us going is the promise of winter, which is just round the corner. So while the weather may not be crisp just yet, there is just a slight hint of dryness in the air and I, for one, am ready to start baking with fall and winter flavours.

Nothing is more autumnal to me than baking with apples and warm spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. There is something very comforting about them, and I quite like the idea of changing the flavours of my baked goods with the turning of the seasons.

I was recently in conversation with a friend who said that he found baking quite daunting and had therefore decided that he wouldn’t bake at all. There are many others who share this sentiment and I think it such a shame because, if you follow a recipe correctly, your baked goods will almost always turn out perfectly.

With that thought in mind, I want to share some simple apple recipes which are not only a perfect accompaniment to the season, but also easy enough to make even if you’ve never baked before.

Winter is just round the corner and it’s time to bake with warm, autumnal flavours

Apple Crumble

Ingredients

Apple filling
1kg apples (weight before peeling)
1 tablespoon white flour
110g caster sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or water)
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon (add more if you love the spice)
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Crumble

90g rolled oats (or quick cooking oats)
145g flour
175g brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
140g unsalted butter (melted)
1 pinch of salt

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C and prepare your baking dish(es). I usually bake this crumble in an 8-inch square oven-safe glass dish, but I recently divided it into ramekins and thought they were quite perfect for individual dinner party portions. Whatever you decide to use, the good news is that you don’t need to grease your baking dishes, which is always a bonus as far as I am concerned!

Peel, core and cube the apples and, in a bowl, mix them together with the flour, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the apple mixture into your choice of bakeware. In a separate bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Pour over the melted butter and mix with a spoon. Use your hands to form small, half-inch clumps of the mixture. Spread the clumps over the apples, making sure there are no gaps, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown. Rest the crumble for 10 minutes before eating. Serve with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice-cream.

Apple Cake

Ingredients

125g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
115g butter (at room temperature)
130g caster sugar + 1 tablespoon extra for sprinkling
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
2 large apples (peeled, cored and chopped into half inch cubes)
Icing sugar for decoration

Method

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C and grease a 9-inch round cake tin or mould and line the bottom with baking paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.

Using a spatula, fold in the chopped apples. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the extra 1 tablespoon sugar on the top and bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan and then de-mould on to a plate or serving dish, making sure you peel off the baking paper from the bottom. Using a sieve, dust the top of the cake with icing sugar. Serve slightly warm with cream.

Apple Turnovers

Ingredients

1 packet pre-made, frozen puff pastry
20g sugar
20g butter
3 apples (medium-sized)
Lemon juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg powder

Method

Make the apple compote first. Peel and core the apples and dice into half inch squares. In a stainless-steel saucepan, add the sugar and let it melt and cook until it becomes a light caramel colour. Add the apples, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg and cook until the apples become soft and mushy. You can blend the compote to make it smooth or use it as it is. Reserve in a bowl and cool to room temperature or chill before using.

Roll out the puff pastry to ¼ inch thickness and use a 6-inch fluted round cookie cutter to cut out several circles. Working with one circle at a time, add a tablespoon of the apple filling and seal the edges with a bit of water. You can use the tines of a fork to create a decorative pattern on the edge and the blunt side of a knife to create a pattern on the turnovers.

Arrange all the turnovers diagonally on lightly floured baking trays and brush lightly with beaten egg. Chill for 10 minutes and then brush with egg wash once more. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees C for 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry has risen beautifully and is a lovely golden brown. Cool for 15-20 minutes and serve warm.

The writer is a professional pastry chef and holds a diploma in pastry from Le Cordon Bleu.

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 17th, 2021