Apple Pepper Pot Cake

This is a recipe from Jamie Oliver that I veganised, original recipe here. I can't describe how delicious it was, really restaurant quality. It was much easier than it sounded and would be lovely in winter or when friends come round for tea. I only used half these amounts and it would have served 6 people.

Apple Pepper Pot Cake


Ingredients

For the caramelly sauce;
200g vegan butter, at room temperature,
200g caster sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 level teaspoon ground ginger
a pinch of ground cloves (I used a pinch of All Spice)
3 Tbls vegan cream (I didn't used this)

For the sponge;
6 or 7 small/medium eating apples, such as granny smith, quartered and cored
125g vegan butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
2 egg replacers
225g self-raising flour, sifted
½ a level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200ml good-quality dry cider (I used 80% soda water & 20% apple cider vinegar)
2 oranges zest only (I didn't use this)


Method

Grease the bottom and sides of a 24cm circular cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. I used a spring form tin and preheat your oven to 180°C.
Put the butter for your sauce into a saucepan (large enough to hold all your apple quarters in one layer). Add the caster sugar, molasses and ground spices then gently bring everything to the boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to thicken.
Be careful because caramel is very hot and can burn badly.
At this point, add the quartered apples and cook for a few minutes while you make the sponge, but keep a close eye on them and stir occasionally so they don’t catch.
Cream together the butter and sugar for the sponge, then add the egg replacers, one at a time, mixing them in as you go.
Fold in half the flour, the bicarbonate of soda and the cider.
Mix well, then fold in the remaining flour and the zest from the oranges, and stir again.
Put the prepared cake tin on to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper (just in case any hot caramel seeps out during cooking).
Spoon the sticky apples into the bottom of the tin in a fairly even layer, along with any of the caramel that happens to come with them.
Put the pan with the remaining caramel aside for later, then pour the sponge batter over the apples and give it a jiggle to spread the mixture out a bit.
(I skipped the last step and poured the remaining caramel over the cake before baking and it turned out brilliantly)
Put the cake tin and baking tray into the hot oven on the middle shelf to cook for around 35 to 40 minutes. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake after 35 minutes – if it comes out clean the cake’s ready, if not, just bake for a further 5 minutes.
Once cooked, let the cake cool for 10 minutes (no longer or you won’t be able to turn it out).
Warm the reserved caramel on a low heat and gently stir in the cream.
Go back to your cake and spoon away any escaped caramel so it can’t burn you, then pop a serving plate on top of the cake and quickly and confidently flip it over. (If you use a spring form tin you won't need to do this)
Ease the tin off the overturned cake, then cut into wedges and serve with the remaining sticky, creamy caramel sauce drizzled on top.