Apple Spice Cake with Vanilla and Butter Icing, topped with Cinnamon Candied Nuts

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This soft and moist apple and almond cake with cinnamon and cardamom, is finished with a simple vanilla butter icing and decorated with incredible candied nuts covered in a sugary, cinnamon shell with a hint of salt. An explosion of textures, with all the flavours we crave as we move from summer into autumn, this luscious cake is wonderful served at all times of the day. This fabulous recipe works throughout the day from breakfast to afternoon tea or even as dessert after your evening meal.

Lyngen Lodge

I was inspired to make this cake when I started re-creating the food we enjoyed at Lyngen Lodge, when we visited last April. They served a ‘Spice Cake with Candied Nuts’ on our second day there. Sadly, I don’t have a photograph of said cake, but from memory, it was a spicy sponge, decorated with nuts covered in a sugar caramel, with no icing.

I took a few liberties with this cake and decided to add some apple and ground almonds to ensure the cake was beautifully moist and besides, the Hudsons had gifted us a huge bowl of apples from their garden, when they stayed with us to go to our ‘Lyngen Lodge Reunion Dinner’. This seemed like a wonderful way to use some of them.

I added the icing, which I felt the original cake needed, and for the candied nuts I used a recipe I love from the fabulous Sally’s Baking Addiction. The nut recipe makes far more than you need to decorate this cake but rest assured, the leftovers are delicious with an aperitif and are a fabulous cheeky snack, at any time of the day. You could even add them to salads. If you are feeling really adventurous, add some chilli flakes to the nuts. trust me – a fabulous addition. For more information on the Cinnamon Candied Nuts, see here.

How to make Apple Spice Cake with Vanilla and Butter Icing, topped with Cinnamon Candied Nuts

Based on my Spicy Cake with Vegetable/Fruit and Nuts – Core Recipe, the cake batter is not overly sweet, and I love the fact that I have sufficient to make 2 cakes. Your options include –

• make two cakes and ice them separately, as shown in this recipe.
• ice one cake and freeze the other cake un-iced.
• this cake is also delicious topped with this Cream Cheese Frosting. You can either top the cakes with the frosting and serve individually or make a 2 tiered cake.
• this cake is also delicious served for breakfast with or without any frosting.
• halve the cake ingredients and make just one cake!

Collect all your ingredients together:

Cinnamon Candied Nuts –

• egg white
• water
• granulated sugar
• ground cinnamon powder
• ground cardamom powder
• fine salt
• unsalted mixed nuts or your nuts of choice
• chilli flakes (optional)

Apple Spice Cake –

• peeled, grated apple – I use eating apples
• sunflower oil
• natural yoghurt
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour
• ground almonds
• bicarbonate of /baking soda
• baking powder
• cinnamon powder
• cardamom powder
• fine salt
• light muscovado sugar or light brown sugar

Vanilla Butter Icing: the quantities below are per cake.

• icing sugar
• unsalted butter, melted
• vanilla extract
• milk

How to make this fabulous moist, spicy cake:

First, make the Cinnamon Candied Nuts –

1. Whip the egg white and water with an electric whisk, until it forms stiff peaks.
2. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt over the egg white and carefully fold in.
3. Tip the nuts into a large mixing bowl, add the cinnamon egg white and fold together until the nuts are covered in a layer of egg white. Do not over mix.
4. Tip out onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment, and spread the nuts out into a single layer.
5. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, giving the nuts a good stir every 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, use your hands to break up any chunks of nuts which may have formed. Set aside to completely cool.

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Secondly, make the Apple Spice Cake –

1. Peel and core the apples and grate using a box grater.
2. Add the apple to a mixing bowl with the wet ingredients – oil, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Now add the dry ingredients – flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and sugar.
4. Use a balloon whisk to mix thoroughly and then divide between 2 x 18cm/7in greased and lined, round cake tins.
5. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 25 – 35 minutes, or until cooked.
6. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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Vanilla Butter Icing –

1. Mix the icing sugar, butter and vanilla extract together.
2. Slowly add the milk until you achieve a thick, smooth, spreading consistency.

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Finish the cake –

1. Transfer the cake to a serving plate and spread the icing over the cake.
2. Swirl the icing with a knife to make an attractive pattern.
3. Add some Cinnamon Candied Nuts around the edge of the cake.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.