September means one thing, the apples on my allotment tree are ready for harvesting! Join me as we collect a bumper crop and head to the kitchen to make a delicious apple and walnut cake that’s perfect for an autumnal afternoon.
00:00 Harvesting
06:00 Baking
LINKS
Recipe – https://pastryandbeyond.com/apple-cake-loaf/
Apple peeler – https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-apple-peeler-black
Ikea baskets – https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/risatorp-basket-white-90281618/
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SOCIAL
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I’m back on the a lotment today and I thought you might like to join me to harvest my apples because it’s midepptember now which is when my apple tree is always ready and it’s starting to feel really autuminal now. Um the leaves aren’t quite changing just yet. I’ve got my little helper with me as well so it might take a little bit more time to harvest them than usual but it’s really starting to feel quite autuminal. The air is getting a little bit crisp and um today it’s actually a little bit overcast. Sometimes the sun comes out um but there is a bit threat of rain as well. Today I’m harvesting my apples using these nifty little baskets that I got from IKEA. And I’ll link them down below if you’re interested in what their name is because I probably won’t be able to pronounce it anyway. But I find them really useful around the house and also for harvesting some of my goodies. Um, it started to get a little bit gray overhead and I was a little bit worried at this point whether we’ll actually be able to harvest the apples at all, but the davas are looking pretty, so that put a smile on my face. Um, seem to be a little bit late this year. Am I all right? But the apples are absolutely prolific this year. Tell me if your apple tree is looking the same. I have heard actually that this year is what’s known as a mast year when you have a prolific abundance of fruits and nuts on specific trees. I’ve only really noticed it on things like the hawthornne. Um lots of berries as well. Um but yeah, my apple tree haven’t a great year. My little helper just watching from the sidelines. And then the clouds got gray and the rain started to arrive, which was very annoying. So, I’d only just got all my tools ready to get started. I thought, “Oh, it would just be a little bit of drizzle.” But no, it got heavier and heavier. Anybody for apple bobbing? So, Dylan and I took shelter in the shed and um spent a little while in there for it to blow over. He stayed inside for a while whilst I continued to harvest the apples. As I’ve mentioned in previous videos, I I don’t know the exact variety of this tree because it was here before I got the a lotment, but I think it might be um a Cox apple of some description. Um it’s also got a bit of a russet kind of skin. And whilst it isn’t super sweet, it has like a slight sharp tang to it. So, it’s kind of nutty and sweet, but with a little tartness. It’s They’re really quite unusual and delicious. Um, but yes, this is what they look like. And, um, got a lot of them to get. My baskets were soon filling up. And actually, what I harvest in this video is only half of it. I had to go back on another day to get the rest. I’ll harvest what I can by hand, but sometimes I need my special apple picker tool. Um, which you might have seen in a previous video um that I filmed a year or two ago when I first bought it. And I’ve started to get the knack now. It might have taken me a couple years, but if you just hover the tool over the apple and then actually shake it rather than pulling, um, that’s the best way to get it off. And um yeah, this is the Wolf Garden apple picker. Um it’s one of those tools where you change the head, the attachment, and you just buy the pole separately. So, I’ve got lots of different attachments for this one pole. Uh not an advert, by the way, but I do love them because it means it saves a lot of space in my shed. And uh this is all just fun and games really. I feel like I’m at the fair every time playing hooker duck, but instead I’m hooking up my apples. It was at this point that I kind of realized I definitely need some more apple recipes because I can make a good crumble. And this year I’ll be pureeing a lot of them for Dylan as he’ll soon be weaning onto foods. Um, but other than that, I don’t I don’t make a few, you know, many apple recipes. But the cake we’ll be trying later on is one that’s all new to me. Um, but yeah, really excited to do a lot more baking. And I think I’m going to be freezing these in different methods. Some grated, some chopped, um, some sliced, so I can do all sorts of things with them. But yeah, the majority of which this lot will be going in the freezer. Um, I won’t be juicing them. I have done it before. It does make a very nice juice actually. Um, and I have also made cider before, but apparently you need a mix of apples to make the best cider, and it ended up being quite dry. Um, not very sweet. But yeah, the apple juice you can get is actually really good. Still so many more to go. Well, that was about as much as I can carry back with me today. So, uh, Dylan and I packed up and, uh, he was very excited to see what we’re going to make with these apples. So, it’s time to take them home. Meanwhile, at home, the rain continued and the garden is starting to look royal autuminal. The hostas are loving the rain and the garden on the whole is just soaking it all up. The amalancia looks stunning with its red burgundy burnt leaves as they change. And I love the way the drops just bounce off the stersions. This is the haul overall. Haven’t yet weighed them, but I might do that just now. Actually, figure out just how much we have here. So, this afternoon I’m going to be making a apple and walnut cake. It’s going to be a loaf and it’s not one that I’ve made before. It’s not my recipe. I am absolutely not a baker. In fact, I’m pretty rubbish at it. But here we are. I will link the recipe that I did use down below. It’s from a lovely lady’s blog who I came across because I particularly wanted to find a recipe that used apples and walnuts. So, it’s a pretty standard recipe, I think. Um, all your basics, flour, eggs, sugar, and then the nuts and some flavorings as well. So, I started by weighing them all out, making sure there are no lumps. And I kept this recipe pretty much exactly as it was. By the way, the only thing I did change was the fat. So, instead of using olive oil, I used butter. And I used 90 gram of butter in place of olive oil, which I melted in the microwave um to make it nice and runny. I weighed out the walnuts and I gave them a little bit of a chop. I didn’t want to chop them too fine cuz it is nice to have like a little nugget of nut when you bite into the cake. um just a nice little crunch to add to um the texture. So, I kept them quite rough um but put them aside and then moved on to the apples. And here I’m using my new tool. This is not endorsed or an advert by the way before I progress. But it’s one I got from Pro Cook. And I’ve wanted one of these for a while, but I just couldn’t justify it. But this year, with so many apples, I knew it was going to save me so much time in the kitchen peeling all those apples that I have. So, it’s actually an apple peeler, but it can also core and slice the apple into like a spiral. Um, and you’ll see at this point, actually, I move away the slicing element because I didn’t want it to turn into a big spiral. Um, so yeah, you turn the handle and it peels the apple in just a matter of seconds. Just like that. It’s amazing. Um, so I use this for my three apples. probably not that necessary, but um yeah, absolutely love it. And look, it’s like a little beehive or something. Really easy to use, very mechanical, and it sticks down to the worktop, which I really like. It means it’s not going to go anywhere. And then you end up with uh a lot of cool looking peel, which I bet you could sort of dehydrate them or pop them in the oven with a bit of cinnamon and crisp them up. That could be really nice. For this recipe, you um grate two of them, but chop one of them into small pieces. Um so that’s what I’m going to do next. They’re probably um about half a centimeter in width. And I kept them all regular so they cook nice and evenly. These apples are used for both cooking and eating, by the way. Again, I don’t know what the variety is, but they’re suitable for both. And at that point, my son woke up from his nap, so I figured he might as well join in. He was very interested in the apple. So, yes, we’ve got a mixture of grated and cubed apple. I’m going to add some cinnamon to a bowl along with some baking powder and a little bit of salt as well. And then mix those together. In a separate bowl, I’m going to crack two eggs. These are nice freerange mediumsiz eggs into a bowl and then give them a whisk. and then added in the sugar and combined the two. Next, I add some vanilla extract to the melted butter and then mixed those other dry ingredients with the flour. I slowly worked in the wet ingredients and added the apple to the wet ones. Give it all a really good mix. At this point, I thought, is there too much apple? I then added the flour in two batches cuz I didn’t want it to become too clumpy straight away. Um, so gradually added the flour. Mixed that all in. And um, all that was left to add at this point is the nuts. So, I just want to give that a really good mix so that the nuts go throughout the mixture. I then spooned it all out into a loaf tin that I previously put a piece of grease proof paper in so it’ be easy to get out at the end, making sure that it reached all the corners and is nicely leveled off so it should bake hopefully nice and even. And then it went into the oven that was already preheated to 175°. And then I gave it the little prick test where you put the skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes out nice and clean, then your cake is ready. Turns out that my cake only took about 40 minutes rather than the suggested 50 minutes. I gave it another check just in case. And yep, perfectly clean. So, here’s the result. And from first impressions, I’m so pleased. It’s risen. It’s a nice golden brown color. It’s got a gorgeous crackle and texture on the top and the kitchen smelled incredible. It was like a cinnamony appleley autoutuminal smell. It was amazing. I left it on the counter like this for a while to cool. Um, and I also moved it onto a cooling rack to cool a little bit quicker because you don’t want to take it out too soon otherwise it might lose its shape. So once it had cooled down a bit, I moved it onto the cooling rack. What a beautiful loaf. I’m not sure if it should have risen more than this, but that’s what we’ve got and I’m happy. Oh, yeah. Side note, it became a birthday cake. So, if you see any spots of wax like that bit of orange, just ignore that. But yeah, really happy with how it sliced. You can see those chunks of apple and the nuts going throughout it. The texture was amazing. It wasn’t too dry or too moist despite actually um I accidentally left 20 g of flour in the bowl when I tipped it out. didn’t realize, but it didn’t matter. It tastes so good. But for the final taste test, those little chunks of apple and the little chunks of nut really make this recipe. Um, yeah, it is just so delicious. There was just one thing missing though. And you know what that is? A good cup of tea. It’s true. Us Brits do love a cup of tea. And if there’s a cup of tea and a piece of fresh homemade cake going, well, I mean, that’s just like the perfect combination. So, I think there was nothing left to do than to make myself a brew. A good old Yorkshire tea currently on the decaf. Let it brew for a few minutes. Add the milk. Always take the tea bag out before you add the milk. And uh and yeah, ready to chill out, put my feet up, and enjoy hot cup of tea and my apple and walnut cake. Thanks for watching.
45 Comments
Aw how lovely to see Dylan getting involved, maybe the youngest YouTuber 😂😊. Also, I loved this video, and adore a gadget, so the apple peeler is going to be my next kitchen buy, to make that wonderful cake xxx.
Literally my idea of a perfect day!
Apple chutney, salad, Apple strudel, scraps applecider vinegar, caramelised Apple jam, Apple fritters, toffee apples. Enjoy x
Such a lovely vlog. I'm going to make the cake. It looked delish!😋
Yum – nothing better ❤❤
Dahlias defo later this year, but, that means more flowers later into autumn, won my first show this year with a collarrete dahlia, so pleased as im not a big grower of dahlias, but your videos have actually showed me so much, on growing lifting and storing over the years!
Another lovely video! They do look like a combination of coxes and russets (not gussets as my phone insists!). Loving Dylan's funky hair! The loaf looked lovely – I may make one with pears tomorrow. I am envious of your super tidy kitchen though!
Really enjoyed this one, especially watching you prepare that delicious cake with the crusty top. I love apples in a slaw with celery, cabbage, or endive.
Hi Katrina Thankyou for sharing your abundance of apples today. The autumnal small of apples and cinnamon whilst you’re making that delicious cake would be so beauitful. Stewed animals with oats and cinnamon in the morning for breakfast are also yummy. Enjoy your weekend
❤❤❤❤nice video
Off topic but that rust color looks amazing on you!
Lots of berries this year especialy blackberrys and sloes good for sloe gin,
Ok as a Canadian, I am curious as to why you take the tea bag out before adding milk? I always add the milk when the tea bag is in – I guess I am not following the proper protocol 😂.
I have that an apple tree that we planted about 10 years ago and we have only ever gotten about a handful of apples. This year we got about 3 bushels. So amazing. I think we are going to try making hard apple cider. The farming chefs utube channel posted a video recently on different things to do with apples. Fruit leather and apple bbq sauce were two of them.
I so enjoy your videos! can't wait to see what is coming next 😊
Perfect! 🍏 we’ve just picked a huge quantity from our 7 trees. We sent most of it to our local juice farm – they do the work and pasteurise/bottle it for us. I just don’t have freezer space to store them all (they’re not storage apples). Enjoy your cake!!
Looked delicious! Was there any left for your husband when he got home? 😛
It has been a great year for apples. And pears I got my first pears on a pear tree planted about 6 or 7 years ago. The cake looks lovely and I love new recipes to try. Thank you for sharing. And D is growing fast, I love his swirly hair 🥰 My granddaughter turned one in August and is enjoying a little bit of her Nanna's bakes now.
You have a cosy kitchen. Using it for baking only amplifies that.
Beautiful video Katrina! So relaxing to watch and the cake looked lovely. 💖 Xxx
Katrina… your son is so cute 🥰and your home grown gardening videos are pretty good 🍎
The Oak in our garden is dropping a huge amount of acorns this year, you have to be careful out there.
Your apple walnut cake (or bread as we call it in the US) looks delicious! Thank you for sharing.
DOROTHY GALE: Ohhh look…APPLES!! LOL!! P.S…your son is so cute!!
Love your videos of your garden
Such a nice, cozy video. ❤ Yes, this year all the trees are full of fruits, it is the same here in Germany. The harvests are huge.🎉
Nice update!
A Blessed Haustblót/Fómhar/Mabon to those whose celebrate the "Wheel of the Year"!
Such a relaxing video ❤❤ yup ,the perfect day X love Lisa
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely video. I'm so happy that you loved this recipe and your cute son has been part of it!
It looks great
Katrina your apple cake looks great and surely tastes great. I’m looking forward to making an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. So nice to see your little one, he’s certainly growing fast. Enjoy those moments while they’re small, the years go by so fast. Thanks for sharing with us. 👍❤️😊🇨🇦
The cake looks lovely. Probably going to make it for an allotment committee meeting on Friday evening.
I really like using apple peels to make tea! 🍎 I just happened to visit an apple orchard today and plan to make a crumb pie with some of them – what fun to watch your rainy harvest and cake baking.
My daughter surprised me with a Dorset Apple Tray Bake this week and it was the tastiest tray bake ever! I hope, I was a good mummy all week and get another bake next week again! We still have a box full of orchad apples too🍎🍏
Well done on making a baking video, great photography and a lovely looking cake. One of our apple trees had no fruit this year but loads last year, the other has a good crop. I think you can get biennial cropping when the tree uses all its reserves one year and rests the next year.
Loved the video and thanks for sharing the apple cake recipe, I made it straight away and it’s delicious. I grated all three apples, that was the only change I made.
That looks delicious Katrina.
Good thing you repaired your shed roof a while back!
Your apples look like mine,also a heavy crop this year. It’s Ashmeads Kernel an old variety . An eater or cooker and keeps well. Enjoy x
Something very satisfying about picking apples! My neighbour and I joined forces this year – she has a very big tree next door – and I took several baskets to a local farm that presses/juices them for you. We now have 18 delicious bottles of apple juice to see us into next year 🙂
When I have a lot of apples I core and chop them (I leave the peels on, but it's not necessary), then stew them with a little water, put them into sterilised Kilner jars and process them in a water bath. No electricity needed and they will keep for months or years. I usually have a couple of spoonfuls on my porridge each morning, but you can also use to make crumbles etc. You could also bottle Dylon's apple puree in the same way.
I bought a basket like that recently in light blue. I love it!
I always loved when my babies would hold onto side of stroller just like your little one. So cute!
Thanks for the video Katrina…the cake looks great….think I'll give it a try👍
Hooo with little one can't wait to see his face. Soo cute god bless you
Just watching this as I make my apple strudel, lovely to see your dahlias and apples did really well this year and also to see your little helper! ❤️🍏🍎