Wholemeal Apple & Sultana Cake Bars

Thoughts of Melting Moments, Chocolate Crunch Slice and cupcakes go dancing around my head on a Sunday afternoon as I think about what to bake for the week and then reality strikes. No eggs, very little butter, no white sugar and all but a bit of cocoa left in the pantry. Quick look in the fridge and pantry reveals one lonely Granny Smith apple and a nearly full packet of sultanas (golden raisins) so a wholemeal Apple & Sultana Cake bar it is.

This recipe is based on my best cake recipe ever. It’s such a good one to have as it uses no eggs or butter and you can pretty much throw anything into it and throw it into any kind of pan and you’ll always produce a wonderful cake.

I loved the way the afternoon winter sunshine was streaming through the window when I took the photo.

Wholemeal Apple & Sultana Cake Bars

• 1 and half cups wholemeal plain flour
• 1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
• 1 Granny Smith (grated)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• half teaspoon salt

1. Turn oven to 180 deg C (375 deg F).
2. Grease a 20cm x 18 cm slice tin
   well or line with baking paper.
3. Put the flour,
   sugar, grated apple, sultana, cinnamon and water in a bowl.
4. Add vinegar, oil, baking soda and
   salt. Mix with beaters until smooth.
5. Pour into the tin. Bake
   20 to 25 minutes.
6. Cool for 10 minutes then take out of tin.

Wholemeal Apple & Pecan Cookies

I love old fashioned cookbooks. I love new, modern cookbooks as well but there’s something about the old ones that stir up memories of morning and afternoon teas as a young girl, cooking with Mum and all that old fashioned, homely goodness.

Mum had a clean out recently of her cookbooks and came across this pearl. An old Australian Women’s Weekly book of biscuits and slices. It’s not like I haven’t got enough biscuit and slice cookbooks but this one had so many classics from my childhood. It even had an ‘international’ section which featured Linzer and Viennese biscuits. Oooh! How fancy! Lot’s of home baked goodness in this book and one, which no doubt, will be used a lot over the years.

The biscuit barrel was empty so it was time to crank up the oven and get cooking. I picked out an Apple Oatmeal Cookie recipe and changed it ever so slightly. I changed the walnuts for pecans and added a sprinkling of cinnamon. Not a real crunchy, crisp biscuit which I prefer, but a little cakey but still nice.

By the way, this recipe was from the ‘Healthy’ section. Not sure how healthy they are with a cup of sugar but spread over 30 biscuits, I’m sure it’s not too bad.

Wholemeal Apple & Pecan Cookies

125gm melted butter (I don’t bother creaming butter and sugar for most biscuit recipes. I just melt and mix with the sugar)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup rolled oats
1.1/2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
1/4 cup pecans, chopped finely
1 medium apple, grated
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 180 deg C. Melt butter and mix with sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add other ingredients and mix well. Drop teaspoons of mixture onto baking trays. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes approximately 30 biscuits.