baking/ morning tea + afternoon tea/ picnics

Apple + Chamomile Tea Cake

True to form, Melbourne’s weather is keeping us on our toes. Last week we had a few days which were rainy and felt distinctly like Autumn. It was lovely gentle weather, and made me crave some comfort food, a little bite that would go nicely with an afternoon cup of tea.

I guess the idea for this cake came about when I picked up a bag of new season’s apples at the organic shop, and later that afternoon watched a lecture by David Wolfe – the raw foods and superfood rock star. Seriously, go and google him. He has the most energy of any human being I have ever seen. Just try and watch him without wanting to stuff yourself with wholefoods, it’s not possible. You will literally be rushing out to go buy some blueberries. He lived on blueberries alone for several weeks. He is a little bit crazy in that totally cool and inspiring kind of way; totally high on life and high on wholefoods.

David mentioned in the lecture that he thinks there is great value in eating flowers, which got me to thinking about the chamomile that now springs up in my backyard. I planted one chamomile plant about two years ago, and now they keep popping up all around the yard, usually in the least likely places, like at the base of the fence or squeezed between some bricks. I often cut the flowers for the house as they smell so beautiful, and of course we always have some chamomile tea on hand. But, I hadn’t ever really thought about eating the flowers before. So I tried one. And well, they taste green, very green. But not bad. Not sweet as I had thought they would, but they could definitely make a salad more interesting as well as beautiful.

Anyway, on this grey day, salad was not what I was after. Really I was after cake. A nourishing, warming kind of a cake that would satisfy all my needs. Healthy, tick. Yummy, tick. Would my kids eat it and could I throw it in a lunchbox and take it with me on my bike for afternoon tea? Tick. So here is a little cake, inspired by health, inspired by the weather and inspired by others who are inspired themselves.

Apple and Chamomile Tea Cake

This humble little cake is gentle yet sustaining, with a subtle sweetness from the chamomile tea, honey and applesauce. If you don’t have any applesauce on hand you could just leave it out and your cake would be lighter in texture, but I had some that was begging to be used. Make your chamomile tea good and strong if you would like the aroma to show through. The cake itself is a bit like a slice of pudding, which means it is good and filling. Just right for Autumn. I would love to take this cake on a picnic in the forest, I think it would be ace after a brisk walk in the fresh air and alongside a cuppa poured from a thermos and a huddle with a loved one.

200ml strong chamomile tea (try 4 tea bags), cooled
300g wholemeal spelt flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
100ml olive oil
120g clear honey
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup (150g) applesauce or unsweetened apple puree
2 small apples, thinly sliced
a little extra honey for drizzling
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a 20cm round springform tin.

Make your chamomile tea and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, egg yolks until smooth and silky. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites into soft peaks. Fold the flour and baking powder into the wet mixture, then fold in the chamomile tea and applesauce. Lastly fold through the beaten egg whites.

Pour into your prepared tin, then arrange your apple slices on top. Drizzle with an extra teaspoon of honey if you feel. Bake in the oven for around an hour, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for half an hour in the tin before turning out to enjoy with a cup of tea.

And what’s amazing is… Apples are great for lowering cholesterol, keeping your blood sugars steady and for helping encourage the body to rid a build up of heavy metals or toxins. Leave the skin on for extra fibre, vitamin C, iron and yummy goodness! Chamomile has been used as a natural remedy for centuries. It is very calming, so is great for helping you feel happy and relaxed. It is a lovely choice for children, who will enjoy it’s natural sweetness, and is a natural supporter of the immune system. So you can have your cake, and eat it too.