A golden brown Hazelnut and Toffee Apple Christmas Cake on a light green plate being held by two hands.

A Lemon tree potted in a hessian wrapped pot with green fresh leaves and small white flower buds surrounded by wood wool and two fresh bright yellow lemons, one being cut open and a pile of wooden gift crates in the background next to green potted trees.

Hazelnut & Toffee Apple Cake

Every year we challenge Head Gardener Ned to create an alternative Christmas cake using produce from the Glut orchards.

Each time Christmas comes around, Ned suprises us with yet another wonderful cake, but this time we think he’s outdone himself!

Feast your eyes on this luxuriously indulgent hazelnut cake, decorated with apples, Cape gooseberries and caramel whiskers, and feel inspired, because the recipe is below and it’s a good one!. Serves 8.

3 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
300g caster sugar
230g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
230g butter, melted
3 apples, peeled and cored
150g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 pack of Cape gooseberries

Heat the oven to 180C and line a 24cm loose bottomed cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Set aside 70g of caster sugar for the caramel topping.
Cut one apple into slices and set aside. Chop the remaining apples into bite-size chunks.
Beat the eggs, spices and 230g of the caster sugar until foamy, and then stir in the flour and baking powder. Pour in the melted butter and beat well.
Fold the chopped apple and hazelnuts into the cake batter, then pour into the lined tin and bake for an hour until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Whilst the cake is cooling, make the caramel by placing the remaining sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
Swirl the pan a little and when the sugar has turned into a light golden caramel, take the pan off the heat.
Using tongs, dip the apple slices into the caramel, then arrange them artfully on top of the cake.
Peel back the papery calyxes of the Physalis and dip them into the caramel before arranging them over the cake too.
If the caramel solidifies, melt it again slightly, then draw strands of it from the pan with a wooden spoon, and swirl them around the cake to create caramelly whiskers.
When the cake is looking suitably festive, dust the entire confection with a smattering of icing sugar snow!