HEALTHIER APPLE BLACKBERRY & GINGER LOAF, fat-free, easy steps

Fabulously fruity cake, stuffed with healthy fibre...and FAT FREE

Rustic but light; gorgeous flavours 

This is a riff on a fat-free cake, inspired by Sky McAlpine.  An orange loaf posted a few months ago won over tasters with its flavour, texture and spicing.

This fruity loaf is also high in good fibre, with added brown flour and studded with apples and blackberries. It's a boon for anyone worried about fat levels in January but craving a healthy treat.

The cake is an exciting cross between one of those fine crumbed, airy cakes and a sturdy rustic job which looks as if it might bounce off the wall if you threw it.  

Very popular with guys - they love a cake that's a substantial mouthful  - it also pleases women because it's so easy to make.  And it travels well in a tin to slice at leisure during a journey or to serve on arrival. 

The fresh fruit adds vivid colour and delightful moist texture, enhanced by tart ginger in syrup.  

The cake is unforgettable.  In the best way.  

Cost: £2.75 (2022)

Makes: 1 good-sized loaf

Ingreds:

3 eggs
120g/4.2 oz sugar, one-quarter brown 

2 balls ginger in syrup drained & finely diced 

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp syrup from jar plus 1 tbsp warm water 

100g/3.6oz self-raising flour (80g white; 20g brown*)

  90g/3.2oz ground almonds

  10g/1/3oz shredded unsweetened coconut 

1/2 tsp ground ginger 

generous pinch of salt

1 good-sized apple, peeled, in decent bite-sized chunks  

handful blackberries, halved if large 

Decorate with:

generous dusting icing sugar OR

ginger flavoured buttercream OR

ginger glaze: 1/3 cup sifted icing sugar with 1 tbsp ginger syrup and 1-2 tsp water until white and of runny consistency

 

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180Cfan/350F. Place a strip of greaseproof paper down the length of a 1kg loaf tin with plenty of overhang; grease ends.  
2. Separate eggs placing yolks in a large bowl and whites in a separate good sized ceramic bowl wiped with a slice of lemon
3. Using a clean beater, whisk egg whites until fluffy and cloudlike; set aside
4. Using the same beater, whisk yolks & sugar in large bowl until they turn thick, light, creamy & lemony yellow.  Add vanilla, ginger & syrup/water; whisk until well combined. 
5. Gradually add flour, ground almonds, coconut, ginger & salt, beating on low until combined; the batter will be thick and sticky. 
6. Add abut a third of the egg whites to the bowl to loosen the batter; gently fold* to combine; add rest of the egg whites, fold in, keeping as much air as possible, until well combined.
7. Pour just over half the batter into the tin; scatter over half the apple & blackberries; cover with rest of batter; dot with remaining fruit
8. Bake 30-35 min, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean 
9. Cool in tin 5 min, run a sharp knife around all sides to loosen; turn out onto a wire rack; cool completely.  
10. When completely cool, cover with topping of choice.

*Fold: using a spatula cut down the middle of the batter and egg whites; drag spatula down to the bottom of the bowl and fold over both batter and egg whites ; turn bowl slightly to the right; repeat until no egg whites are visible and mix is throughly combined.  The trick is to keep as much air from the egg whites as possible to produce a light cake.  

*Duchy originals does self-raising brown flour

Comments: 

• 'I was gifted half a loaf and put it in the fridge while I had a nap.  When I woke up, it had disappeared.  Someone else clearly liked it.  Very much!' Political Agent
• 'Absolutely delicious; really beautiful! Can I order?' Yoga Intructpor
• 'I loved the flavour combination but it was far too tempting knowing it's fat-free. I had to restrain myself from eating too much!' Retired writer

Tips:

• If you only have plain flour, add 1 tsp baking powder for every 100g/3.6ozals
• 67 also made a version of this with Pear Blueberry & Cardamum Loaf.  The ground ginger was replaced with ground cardamum & the contents of a few smashed green pods cardomum(opt).  The ginger balls and syrup was replaced by 4 tbsp finely chopped pear and a splash of water.  The cooled loaf  was covered with a thick layer of 67's Fluffy Buttercream Icing with a few tablespoons of finely chopped pear mixed in.  It was described as 'fab'.  Sorry, no picture! 

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.