Maple Syrup – Feasting Is Fun

As a family we eat a fairly balanced diet, with lots of fruit and vegetables and the occasional takeaway. Because balance is everything, in life, as it is in cooking and eating. While I cook most of our meals from scratch I’m also realistic. So in our freezer there is usually a bag of oven chips, frozen peas and some good quality sausages. Occasionally though it’s treat time and my Maple Drizzled Apple Blueberry Loaf Cake is not only delicious it’s also packed full of fresh fruit.

To be clear, I am not advocating that this cake is a ‘health food’. Rather, that anything homemade firstly, has to be better than a mass produced, long shelf life product and secondly, while cooking and baking, we become more aware of the ingredients that go into our food.

FF Maple Drizzled Apple Blueberry Loaf Cake — **Maple Drizzled Apple Blueberry Loaf Cake** perfect for sharing.

Because there is a large portion of fruit packed into this cake, it is extremely and deliciously moist. Ideal for slicing, wrapping and adding to a packed lunch. Yet equally enticing, shared with friends or neighbours over a mid morning cup of coffee. Since all food tastes better when shared, why not bake this cake and take it with you to work? Sharing does not have to be confined to our homes!

A quick note before making this cake: similar to Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes, the cake batter is made before grating and adding the apple. Because a sweeter variety works best, unlike Granny Smith’s which are more acidic, this helps to ensure the apple browns as little as possible. Also, the skins are left on the apple quarters whilst grating.

Recipe: Maple Drizzled Apple Blueberry Loaf Cake serves 8

175g/6oz Unsalted Butter softened

150g/5oz Caster Sugar

1/8tsp Salt – I use Maldon

50g/2.5tbsp Maple Syrup I use – Pure Maple

1tsp Vanilla Extract I use – Nielsen-Massey

3 Large Free Range Eggs

225g/8oz Plain White Flour

2tsp Baking Powder

1/4tsp Cinnamon

225g/8oz Grated Apple preferably a sweeter variety

125g/4.5oz Blueberries

75g/3oz Icing Sugar

2tbsp Maple Syrup

Method: Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan, gas mark 3, 315F

First of all grease a 2lb loaf tin, 26cm x 12cm x 7cm (approx. 10″ x 5″ x 3″). Line the base with baking parchment.

Making The Apple And Blueberry Filled Cake Batter

Into a bowl sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt – dry ingredients. Set this to one side.
Next, in a large bowl add the softened butter, caster sugar and 2.5 tablespoons of maple syrup. Beat until pale and creamy. Rub the mixture between your finger and thumb, it should feel smooth. If it feels gritty continue mixing until the sugar is fully combined with the butter.
Add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.
Now add all 3 eggs and then the sieved, dry ingredients. Gently mix until just combined.
To grate the apple set a bowl on to digital scales. Cut one apple at a time into quarters, removing the core. Use a box grater and grate the apple, using the coarse grater, until only skin remains. Continue until the whole apple has been grated. Add the grated apple to the bowl on the scales, this will give you an idea of how much each grated apple yields.
Continue grating the apples, as before, until you have the desired weight.
Tip the grated apple and whole blueberries into the cake batter.
Fold the fruit into the batter using a spoon and taking care not to break up the blueberries.
Spoon the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface using the back of a spoon.

Baking The Loaf Cake

Place the tin into the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes.
The cake is baked when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
When the cake is cooled, use a palette knife to run around between the cake and the inside of the tin, releasing any sticky bits.
Now turn the cake out on to a cooling rack and gently peel away the baking parchment.
Place the cooling rack over a clean baking tray.

Making The Maple Syrup Drizzle And Decorating The Cake

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Then add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and stir until the icing has a smooth consistency.
Use a spoon to drizzle the icing across the cake. Also encouraging the icing to drip down the sides of the cake.
Leave the cake to set.

While the icing is setting, put the kettle on and invite your neighbours round!

Since this delicious cake was made a little while ago, it is very tempting to jump through the screen and grab a slice!

Serve this cake sliced and with a smile. It will keep in an airtight container for 3 days. During warmer weather store in the fridge.

If you have enjoyed this Maple Drizzled Apple Blueberry Loaf Cake you may also enjoy these:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Adding fresh fruit to cakes makes them deliciously moist. And fruit filled cakes are a million miles away from dry, moisture sucking, mass produced alternatives that are readily available in the shops. Most of all, home baked cakes not only taste so good, their flavour is far superior to most bought cakes.

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Today we are celebrating National Apple Day here in the U.K. Since there are two trees groaning under the weight of their abundant apple harvest in our back garden, an apple bake is needed. And a gift of maple syrup sparked inspiration resulting in these Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes. Finally, the finished result is better than I could imagine.

Three small cakes on a white plate next to a basket full of red fruit. — Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes

One apple tree produces Spartan apples. Tennis ball sized, shiny red-green apples that are deliciously crunchy, sweet and ideal for little people hands! While the other apple tree variety is unknown. Sharper in taste than the Spartans, they are similar to a slightly sweeter version of Granny Smith apple. Also they are slightly larger with a similar colour that when rubbed becomes shiny. And fortunately, both apples are great for eating and cooking. Resulting in a combination of both being used for these cupcakes.

A single small cake on a white plate surrounded by the red-green fruit that are used in this recipe. — Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes

Apples, The Core Of These Cupcakes:

Unlike Granny Smith apples, both varieties brown easily when sliced/grated and exposed to the air. While the grated apple be tossed in some fresh lemon juice, which would have prevented discolouration, I didn’t want to do this for two reasons. First of all, the lemon flavour would change the cupcake flavour, possibly overpowering the apple and frosting. Also, the lemon juice would have added moisture, resulting in a wetter batter, where the apple may not have kept it’s even distribution. Grating the apples into the cake batter keeps any discolouration to a minimum.

Freshly baked and frosted small cakes in caramel coloured tulip wrappers on a cooling rack. — Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes

Preparing the cake batter first and then adding the grated batter works really well. As it ensures each cupcake has plenty of evenly distributed apple within a light, moist crumb. Without the maple syrup frosting, these could easily be served as muffins, in which case the addition of some toasted pecan or walnut pieces would bring added flavour and texture. Tasting these cupcakes with the dreamy frosting means I could not possibly eat them any other way now!

A small cake cut in half to shown even distribution of fruit in the bake. — A Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcake cut in half.

Maple syrup frosting. Just think on those words for a moment!

Initially I had worried that the addition of maple syrup to a buttercream frosting would result in a too sweet topping. Instead, the opposite happened, with the maple syrup adding a very slight smoky, creamy flavour. Resulting in the sweetness of the unflavoured frosting being dumbed down. As a result, the final flavour paired beautifully with the lightly spiced apple cupcake.

Recipe: Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes – makes 12

Cupcake Ingredients:

175g/6oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

175g/6oz Soft Light Brown Sugar

1/8th tsp Salt – I use Maldon

3 Large Free Range Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

200g/7oz Plain White Flour

3tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Cinnamon

200g/7oz Grated Eating Apple – approximately 3-4 peeled apples

Frosting Ingredients: you may have extra frosting left over

250g/9oz Salted Butter very soft, ideally removed from the fridge the night before

500g/1lb 2oz Sifted Icing Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract

2tbsp Maple Syrup – use real maple syrup not maple syrup flavouring

1tbsp Very Hot Water from a recently boiled kettle

Extra Maple Syrup to drizzle over the finished cupcakes

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

Making And Baking The Cupcakes:

First of all, line a 12 hole deep muffin tin with tulip cupcake wrappers, or deep muffin cases.
Next in a large bowl add the butter, sugar and salt. Whisk/beat them together until they are very pale and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract and all 3 eggs to the bowl. Whisk/beat briefly to partially mix the ingredients, without the risk of them curdling – no more than 30 seconds.
Now sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into the bowl. Set the bowl to one side.
Working quickly, yet carefully, peel and grate 200 grams of apple.
Add the grated apple on top of the flour, in the large bowl and using a spoon mix all the ingredients together, until they are just combined.
Next, using a dessert spoon, place a heaped spoonful of cake batter into each of the cupcake wrappers. Finish by dividing any remaining batter between the twelve cases, so that they are all equally filled.
Finally place the tin in the middle of the preheated oven and bake the cupcakes for 25-35 minutes.
The cupcakes are baked when they spring back from a light touch. Use an inserted skewer to check if they are baked, if it comes out clean they are ready to remove from the oven.
As soon as the cupcakes are baked remove them from the oven and leave them in the tin to fully cool, regardless of which type of wrapper/case has been used.

FF Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes — The stages of making the cupcake batter, through to filling and baking them.

Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting them.

Making The Frosting And Decorating The Cupcakes:

First, add the very soft butter to a large bowl.
Then sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
Next add the vanilla extract, maple syrup and very hot water.
Finally whisk the ingredients, starting slowly and increasing in speed, until you have a smooth, creamy, light buttercream.
Fit a large piping bag with a large star piping nozzle – Wilton #1M.
Fill the piping bag with the maple syrup frosting.
Start in the centre of each cupcake pipe swirls, so the entire top of the cupcake is covered and then, continue to pipe, bringing the tip back to the centre and finishing with a star, as the nozzle is pulled away.
Continue to pipe frosting until each cupcake is generously topped with frosting.
To finish the decoration, drizzle approximately 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup on to the top of the frosting, allowing the drizzle to drip around the frosting swirls.

Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes a taste of Autumn in a cupcake! If you enjoy the season of Autumn, or Fall as it’s also known, take a look at this non food related post Autumn The Most Beautiful Season.

Baking these cupcakes certainly makes the most of seasonal fruit. Since there are plenty of apples freely available I will be making again. Another reason to bake them is also so they can be shared. While none of our friends or neighbours expect deliveries of cake, it is an extra special way of sharing our abundance of apples, which are also given away.

If you have enjoyed the recipe for these Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes you may also like these:

Autumn Apple Almond Cake

Gluten free large cake topped with flaked almonds. A slice is cut and pulled slightly away from the Autumn inspired cake. — Gluten Free – Autumn Apple Almond Cake

Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake

Cinnamon Drizzle Apple Walnut Cake Bars

Fruit and nut cake bars drizzled with cinnamon icing and finished with contrasting white sugar nibs. — Cinnamon Drizzle Apple Walnut Cake Bars

I enjoy baking and find the process very relaxing. And creating new recipes is also be very rewarding, especially as I get to share them here, on Feasting Is Fun. Firstly as a personal achievement and also because of the pleasure my baking brings to others. Watching faces full of pleasure as they bite into a delicious treat, big smiles when a friend receives a birthday bake and gracious thanks from a busy, tired family upon receipt of a homemade lasagne, all bring me a deep sense of joy. Life is for sharing and if my small contribution encourages others to do the same, well then, this blog, Feasting is Fun, will have served its purpose.

Do you share your makes and bakes?

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.