Apple and Potato Cake
A traditional Irish recipe, adapted for Vegans (it more usually contains dairy). If you want a good chunk of this and a second helping, it won’t hurt you. It is delicious hot, straight from the oven. It can be served with or without plant milk or plant cream. It also keeps its flavour if eaten cold straight from the fridge, where it stores well. Fine for putting in lunch boxes.
Serves between 4 and 8. If this is not sufficient, double the ingredients and bake another the same size – a larger version may be unwieldy.
Preparation Time
About ½ hour
Cooking Time
35 to 40 minutes
Ingredients
- About 500g potatoes (organic, neither green nor bruised)
- About 250g dessert apples
- 3 heaped tablespoons of organic flour (for example, Spelt)
- 1 tablespoon of Vegan margarine
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Sprinkling of fair-trade sugar
- 2 teaspoons of plant milk
Cooking equipment
- Stainless steel saucepan with steamer
- Potato masher
- Chopping board and small chopping knife
- Large mixing bowl or jug (preferably with steep sides)
- Pastry board and rolling pin
- Baking tray
- Cup and Pastry brush
Method
- (1)) Peel the potatoes and slice thinly, then steam on a moderate heat until soft and fluffy.
- (2) Wash and peel the apples (the skins can be put stored in the fridge for other recipes). Remove and compost the apple cores. Slice the apple pieces and keep covered in water in a bowl until required.
- (3) Pre-heat an oven to Gas Mark 5, 375F, 190C.
- (4) When the potatoes are cooked, place them in the large mixing bowl/jug with the Vegan margarine and ginger. Mash together until smooth and evenly distributed.
- (5) Add the flour. You may need to use a little more or a little less. What is wanted is a dough to form, which after initial mashing/mixing can be kneaded a little by hand.
- (6) Divide the dough into two, one piece larger than the other. Flour the pastry board and knead the larger piece of dough into a ball, then roll into a circle.
- (7) Place the large round onto a greased (with Vegan margarine) baking tray.
- (8) Knead the smaller piece of dough into a ball, then roll into a circle on the pastry board.
- (9) Take the apple slices, and arrange these on the larger dough on the baking tray. Arrange them in a circular pattern, building up as high as possible but leaving a border of pastry clear on the outside. (The water the apples pieces were kept in can be saved and used for other recipes.)
- (10) Sprinkle the apple with some sugar.
- (11) Take the smaller dough and place it on top of the apple. Then fold up the lower dough edge and pinch the two circles firmly together, to form an attractive pattern. Using a blunt knife or spoon (to press the dough between your fingers) may help.
- (12) Cut a small cross in the centre of the top dough crust - as a vent. Prick the rest of the upper surface evenly.
- (13) Put a couple of teaspoons of plant milk into a cup and then carefully brush it onto the dough, coating evenly.
- (14) Put the baking tray into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes (until the crust is hard and golden).
- (15) Remove from the oven. Either leave to cool or carefully lift onto a plate and serve immediately.
Share an Irish blessing, and eat.
“May God be with you. And may the Mother of God be with you too!”