“Cakes are like books: there are new ones you want to read and old favorites you want to reread.”

^{Ellen Rose}

This is the cake that the Saucy Dressings’ chief taster requests for his birthday – it’s not chocolate and it tastes and looks different to the traditional sort of birthday cake…. put candles on it is a bit problematic though.

Recipe for a sweet cheese and apple cake with additional apple sauce

Serves about 12

Ingredients

• 300g hobnob biscuits
• 300g ginger nut biscuits
• 60g/2oz room-temperature butter
• 560g/1 lb 4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese (2 x 280g tubs)
• 400g/14 oz tin of condensed milk
• 5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• a packet of popping candy (NB this doesn’t keep for long – a week or so maybe – buy fresh)
• slice of preserved quince if you have one – otherwise a couple of teaspoons of membrillo (go to my post on quince cheese or membrillo for more on this)

Method

1. Put all the biscuits in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin (or break them up in a magimix).
2. Mix in a large bowl, and mix in butter with a fork.
3. Mix together with a fork 1½ tbsp condensed milk with the cream cheese.
4. Stew the apple in the remaining condensed milk.
5. Put about half the biscuit crumbs into the bottom of a removable-base 20cm/8” non-stick cake tin.
6. Cover with about half the cheese mixture.
7. Cover with about half the apple mixture.
8. Scatter the rest of the biscuit crumbs over.
9. Add the rest of the cheese mixture.
10. Put in the fridge for half an hour.
11. Take out of the cake tin, decorate with the popping candy and serve with the rest of the warm, caramel apple sauce.

Apple music to play as you cook and eat

The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, with William Tell