Whole apples baked soft with a spiced nut and fruit filling.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 45 minutes | Total: 65 minutes
Times include any chilling, resting or cooling stated below. Oven temperatures are conventional; reduce by 20°C for a fan oven.
Ingredients
4 large baking apples
60 g walnuts, chopped
50 g raisins
3 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
40 g soft butter
150 ml apple juice or water
200 ml cream, custard or yoghurt, to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C. Core the apples without cutting through the base, and score a line around the middle so the skin doesn’t burst.
Mix the walnuts, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and butter into a paste.
Pack the filling into the apples, standing them in a dish with the juice poured around.
Bake until the apples are soft but holding their shape, about 45 minutes, basting once with the juices.
Serve warm with the pan juices spooned over and cream or custard.
Variations and substitutions
Add a pinch of cloves or lemon zest for extra aroma. Use plant butter to make it dairy-free.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Use large sound orchard apples of similar size, so they soften evenly. Check stored fruit carefully around the core before filling.
Storage and freezing
Cool promptly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below. Eat within 48 hours. Freeze cooled portions for up to 3 months; freeze carrot cake without frosting and other desserts without cream, custard or yoghurt. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat desserts served warm once until piping hot; cakes can be eaten chilled or brought briefly to serving temperature.
Explore our growing guides and From Garden to Kitchen guide. Plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating the ingredients or a serving idea.
