Apple-vanilla teacake with thick vanilla custard

ingredients

• Thick vanilla custard

  • 300 millilitre milk
  • 60 millilitre dessert wine
  • 1 vanilla bean split, seeds scraped or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 20 gram each plain flour and cornflour

• Apple-vanilla compote

  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  • 1 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 180 millilitre water
  • 75 millilitre dessert wine or brandy
  • 5 small granny smith apples, cored and each cut into 8 thin wedges
  • finely grated zest and juice ½ lemon

• Tea cake

  • 280 gram caster sugar
  • scraped seeds 2 vanilla beans
  • 200 gram softened butter, plus 10g extra, melted, for brushing
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 375 gram self-raising flour
  • 200 millilitre buttermilk
  • 2 granny smith apples, thinly sliced into rounds

method

• Apple-vanilla teacake with thick vanilla custard

  • 1

    For thick vanilla custard, bring milk, wine and vanilla bean and seeds to the simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk sugar and yolks to combine, then add flours and whisk until smooth.

  • 2

    Slowly add hot milk mixture to yolks, whisking to combine, then return mixture to pan and bring to the boil, whisking continuously until thick (2-3 minutes). Discard vanilla bean and pour custard into a buttered 20cm-diameter round cake tin. Smooth top and refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours).

  • 3

    For apple-vanilla compote, stir ingredients in a Tefal Reserve Collection Sauté Pan 24cm over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until apples are tender and a syrup forms (10-15 minutes). Strain, reserving apples and syrup separately, and refrigerate apples until cool (30 minutes).

  • 4

    Preheat oven to 180°C. Rub 20g sugar and half the vanilla seeds in a bowl with your fingertips to combine, then set aside.

  • 5

    Beat butter, remaining sugar, cinnamon and remaining vanilla seeds in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (4-5 minutes). Scrape down sides of bowl, then add eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  • 6

    Add half the flour, then buttermilk, then remaining flour, stirring between each addition. Spread half the cake mixture in a buttered 23cm diameter round cake tin lined with baking paper. Smooth the top.

  • 7

    Unmould vanilla custard, place in the centre of the cake batter and scatter with apple compote. Spoon remaining cake batter over, smooth the top, then arrange thinly sliced apple in a circle, overlapping the edges.

  • 8

    Drizzle cake with melted butter, scatter with vanilla sugar, then bake until golden and cooked though (1½-1¾ hours). Cover cake with foil part way through if cake starts to brown too quickly and remove foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

  • 9

    Stand cake for 15 minutes in tin, run a knife around the side and turn out onto a rack to cool slightly (30 minutes). Serve warm, drizzled with reserved syrup.

notes

• With the high walls and non-stick coating, making the compotes and jams so easy, washing up is just a breeze too.