autumnal baking

Nigel Slater’s apple crumble balances tart Bramleys with an oat crumble topping that’s made extra crunchy by demerara sugar.

Nigel Slater's apple crumble

1kg/2lb 3½oz Bramley apples

sugar,

water juice

grams/3½oz plain flour

grams/2½oz butter

oats

100 grams/3½oz demerara sugar

Sweet and spiced, this strudel is a winner. Be sure to melt the butter used to separate the layers of pastry, as this makes for a great flaky crust.

Apple strudel

grams/1lb 10 ounces Bramley apples, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced

cinnamon

½ unwaxed lemon, zest only

lemon juice

100 grams/3½oz golden caster sugar

grams/2½oz raisins

butter

grams/1½oz white breadcrumbs

filo pastry

tbsp icing sugar

Make this ginger cake traybake in advance and you can freeze it before adding the icing - in fact freezing improves the taste.

Ginger and treacle spiced traybake

225 grams/8 ounces margarine, softened

sugar

black treacle

flour

tsp baking powder

tsp ground mixed spice

allspice

free-range eggs

tbsp milk

ginger

75 grams/2½oz icing sugar, sieved

tbsp stem ginger syrup

Packed with nuts and spices, this autumnal cake is great for using up apples that are past their best.

Apple cake

330 milliliters/11½fl oz French cider

300 grams/10½oz plain flour

tsp bicarbonate of soda

tsp mixed spice powder

nutmeg

apples, peeled, cores removed and grated

150 grams/5½oz soft dark brown sugar

grams/5½oz butter

golden sultanas

grams/3½oz pecans, chopped

mascarpone

splash double cream

This easy carrot loaf cake makes a great afternoon tea recipe. The nut-flecked loaf topped with orange cream frosting is a winning combination.

Carrot cake loaf

140 milliliters/4¾fl oz vegetable oil,

light brown sugar

grams/10½oz grated carrot (grated weight)

grams/3½oz raisins

pecans

salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp mixed spice

full-fat cream cheese,

grams/1¾oz butter,

tsp vanilla extract

grams/1¾oz icing sugar, sifted

orange, zest only

Apple cake is revered in Germany, and Rick Stein's classic apfelkuchen with a crunchy cinnamon topping will show you why. Any dessert apples will work for this, but avoid using Bramleys that won't keep their shape.

German apple cake

dessert apples, peeled,

grams/4½oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

golden caster sugar

free-range eggs, at room temperature, beaten

level tsp baking powder

tbsp full-fat milk

These delicious toffee apple muffins take no time to make and are perfect for baking with children. 

Toffee apple muffins

eggs,

80 grams/2¾oz caster sugar

240 milliliters/8½fl oz milk

grams/3½oz butter, melted

eating apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped

shop-bought toffee pieces

Taking tea in muffin form seems ideal for breakfast, and the warm spices of chai bring scented richness without heft. I’ve made these dairy-free, but if you want to, you can easily use semi-skimmed milk in place of the almond milk. I want to make it as easy as possible for you to make these, as this is a particularly splendid specimen of muffin.

Chai muffins

225 milliliters/8fl oz unsweetened almond milk

Chai teabags

white spelt flour

2½ tsp baking powder

150 grams/5½oz soft light brown sugar

75 grams/2½oz natural skin-on almonds, roughly chopped

eggs

150 milliliters/5fl oz sunflower oil

Most of the time I refer to this as my Cider and five-spice gingerbread, but I changed the name out of concern for those who expect a little more gingeriness from their gingerbead. If you want to intensify the ginger element, use 250ml/9fl oz ginger beer in place of the cider.

This cake is wonderful enough plain as it is, though I have something of a faiblesse for the gleaming accompaniment of the smoky salted caramel sauce, as you can see from the picture.

For this recipe you will need a 2½/4½ pints litre capacity bundt tin or a 20cm/8in square cake tin (approx. 5½cm/2¼in deep).

Cider and five-spice bundt cake

250 milliliters/9fl oz cider,

175 milliliters/6fl oz sunflower oil,

grams/3½oz soft dark brown sugar

grams/10½oz black treacle (use an oiled 1-cup measure for ease)

3cm/1¼in piece (15 grams/½oz) fresh root

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder

unsalted butter

grams/1¾oz soft light brown sugar

grams/1¾oz caster sugar

golden syrup

125 milliliters/4fl oz double cream

smoked sea salt flakes,

Most of the time I refer to this as my Cider and five-spice gingerbread, but I changed the name out of concern for those who expect a little more gingeriness from their gingerbead. If you want to intensify the ginger element, use 250ml/9fl oz ginger beer in place of the cider. This cake is wonderful enough plain as it is, though I have something of a faiblesse for the gleaming accompaniment of the Smoky salted caramel sauce, as you can see from the picture.

Cider and 5-spice bundt cake

A luxurious tasting carrot cake packed with sultanas and pecans. One piece is never enough.

Top 10 autumnal baking recipes from across the web

The most viewed autumnal baking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Nigel Slater's apple crumble

Apple strudel

Ginger and treacle spiced traybake

Apple cake

Carrot cake loaf

German apple cake

Toffee apple muffins

Chai muffins

Cider and five-spice bundt cake

Carrot and sultana cake with creamy...

Top 10 autumnal baking recipes from across the web

The most viewed autumnal baking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Nigel Slater's apple crumble

Apple strudel

Ginger and treacle spiced traybake

Apple cake

Carrot cake loaf

German apple cake

Toffee apple muffins

Chai muffins

Cider and five-spice bundt cake

Carrot and sultana cake with creamy...

The most viewed autumnal baking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine