Having so much apples in my house recently, I put myself to the challenge to whip up something with them! Literally one of the easiest recipes, this Apple and Cinnamon Teacake is very easy and not to mention super healthy; what more could you want? Due to the apples already being sweet enough, I added only a little bit of maple syrup to satisfy the taste buds of the others in my household, but you could definitely omit or add more to suit your own liking! This is totally the perfect afternoon pick-me-up for those days where you just want something sweet but not too naughty!!
So what's so good about apple and cinnamon?
Apples
Rich in dietary fibre, apples can improve your digestion and assist with regular, smooth bowel movements (which is what we want!) and prevent constipation. According to Organic Facts, apples are rich in vitamins C, K, B6, and riboflavin, as well as minerals like potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and magnesium. They are also packed with phytonutrients and flavonoids like quercetin, epicatechin, phloridzin, and various other polyphenolic compounds, which together provide a number of benefits including:
- Assisting with weight loss
- Better digestion
- Control of blood sugar levels
- Lowering of cholesterol
- Improvement of eyesight
- Prevention of cancer
- Assisting in the treatment of anaemia
Cinnamon
Whilst cinnamon is a vibrant and delicious spice, it's also renowned for having a number of medicinal properties. According to Dr Axe, many of cinnamon's health benefits come from the bark of the Cinnamomum tree, which is rich in a number of health promoting substances including cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate. These substances can be sourced in nature from forms including the pure cinnamon bark, essential oil, and ground spice (bark powder). Cinnamon also contains a large range of nutrients which together assist with it's ability to:
- Act as an antioxidant
- Act as an anti-inflammatory
- Balance blood sugars
- Act as an anti-microbial
- Act as an immunity booster
- Lower cancer risk
- Protect against heart disease
- Promote healthy brain functioning and reduce cognitive decline
Makes: 1 x 20cm cake
Ingredients
- 150 grams of buckwheat flour
- 100 grams of almond meal
- 50 grams of walnut meal
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (plus extra to sprinkle on top)
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 3 apples (2.5 apples will be used in the cake and the other 0.5 on top of the cake)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup of your preferred type of milk (I used almond mylk)
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (you can use more if you like but you may need to add some more flour so that the batter is still nice and thick)
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees celsius. Prepare a 20cm round cake tin by lining it with baking paper.
2. To a bowl add all the dry ingredients.
3. Shred 2.5 apples (I used my Thermomix) and mix with the olive oil, eggs, milk and maple syrup.
4. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until a thick batter forms.
5. Pour into the lined cake tin. Chop up the other 0.5 of the apple into desired pieces and place on top of the cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool down in tin for 30 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!