I don’t know if it’s the same in your neighbourhood or backyard but our neighbours have an apple tree on our fence line that’s bare but for the green baubles that occasionally drop and roll across the yard. I have no idea what kind of variety it is but they taste pretty good. I’ve seen trees along the motorway that have red fruit still adorning the barren branches and I can’t help but wonder if that’s why we decorate our Christmas trees the way we do.
There are a number of similar recipes for this kind of apple-cranberry loaf and I have no doubt they’re delicious. But this is the one I know and love and it’s great because you can tinker and tweak depending on what’s in your cupboard. Typically this recipe had seeds but I had none so I used coconut flakes and it turned out to be a wonderful substitute. This loaf is moist and dense, and not overly sweet but in a good way. Serve with butter. Or without.
Apple, Nut, Cranberry and Coconut Loaf Recipe
Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup SR flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts of your choice, chopped (walnuts, pecans, macadamias, pistachios – go crazy)
1/2 cup coconut flakes (desiccated is also fine)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 green apples, grated (skin on is fine)
OVEN at 160C
Method:
Grease and line a loaf tin.
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time.
In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, add apple and mix together until JUST combined.
Cook for about 1hr 15 min and leave in tin to cool.