Friday, May 21, 2010

Apple, fruit & nut torte

"The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day."
Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

The soft cotton sheets peeked out from in between my fingers, clutched tightly within tiny fists. My eyes grew wide with anticipation as I clung to every word, told brilliantly in different voices and tones. Of all the childhood memories I have of my mother, her role as storyteller is what I treasure most.

My love of books was possibly my first love; I was reading on my own before the age of four. But not a dozen books read alone could compare to the one or two read by my mother some nights whilst my brother and I were tucked into bed eagerly awaiting a tantalising tale. No one could tell a story like my mother. I can still hear the low and slightly effeminate English accent of Moon Face or the lyrical purr of Dr Seuss - she made each character leap off the page and created a magical world for us to visit and dream about. One day, I hope to be able to do the same for my children, to not simply read aloud, but to bring each story to life, like my mother did for me.

I want to take this moment to thank my mother for those special nights, so precious in my memory, and to wish her a very Happy 45th Birthday. You might recall this was the cake I made for you on Mother's Day, your birthday cake currently waits patiently for your return home so you may breathe a wish upon its crust and slice a piece to eat.


ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 20min.
cooking time: 1 hour & 10mins.
total: 1 hour & 30mins.

taste: 4.5/5. A celebration of fruit and nuts.

The cake itself is sweet and soft with a glorious crunchy crust with bursts of zesty cinnamon. This gives way to the wonderfully tart and juicy apple slices. They linger on your tongue allowing you to savour their flavour before the plump sweet raisins come into play with the crunchy pine nuts. Everything is then tied off neatly with the gorgeous hazelnuts.There may be quite a few flavours but they do not overwhelm, instead they create interest and make each mouthful different to the last whilst still allowing the apples to shine.

Hubby was elated with this cake and I was too.
Mine cooked in 1 hour.

would I make it again: Yes.


recipe: Apple Torte

12 comments:

  1. A scrumptioustort! What afablous combinationn!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Happy B-day to your Mom. I share your love of books, and the Cat in the Hat. However, the movie that was made was awful.

    The torte looks great. I would like it for my b-day.

    Cheers!

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  3. I like that crunchy cinnamon crust...I will try this one...

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  4. mmm, happy apples. i love your words about your mother--i hope she had a great birthday!

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  5. this torte looks so yuuuummmmmyyyy, great recipe.
    I have to tell you that we share the same first love :)

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  6. Happy birthday to your mum!! what a lovely cake to have to blow your birthday candles out on!

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  7. Happy Birthday to your mom :-) The torte looks delicious, love it all, the crust, the fruit and the nuts :-)

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  8. Happy 45th to your mom! What lovely memories. Books are such good lifelong friends; I'm so glad she taught you that when you were a child!
    This torte looks divine; no wonder she loves it. (and you!)

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  9. hhhmmm...it's so crunchy!..You really made your mom's birthday memorable..its great! i hope i can do this to my mom.!...

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  10. This is a great recipe i found while searching for apple recipes. Which is a great for our healthy balanced diet and taste.

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  11. I discovered some of this cake in the depths of our freezer this morning - I made it quite a while ago and had forgotten it was there! I got it out to have as dessert tonight - we had it heated up with custard, delicious still (even if the crunch had gone!)

    Thanks for such a yummy recipe!

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