Jazz™ Apple Sticky Sponge with Fresh Mascarpone, Passionfruit and Candied Walnuts

Created by Hayden McMillan at Tribeca Restaurant in Auckland
Serves 8 -10

JAZZ™ Apple Sponge
• 4 cups JAZZ™ apples peeled, cored and diced  
• 8 tbsps. water
• 30 g sugar     
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 360 g butter     
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence    
• 170 g self-raising flower (sifted)
• 400g caster sugar

Step 1 – Pre-heat oven to 180c

Step 2 – Place apples, water, cinnamon sticks and 30g sugar into a saucepan and place on a high heat with a lid on.  Keep high heat on but stir to ensure no sticking - all you are doing is quickly taking the moisture out of the apples and intensifying the flavour. Try not to stew, apples will be ready when apple mix starts sticking to bottom of saucepan. Take off the heat and set aside to cool discarding the cinnamon sticks.

Step 3 – Cream butter and 400g caster sugar in a cake mixer or in a large stainless steel bowl until light and fluffy, one by one add the eggs ensuring each egg is mixed through before adding the next.
Once all eggs are incorporated, stir through the vanilla essence.

Step  4 – Fold cooled apple mix through egg mix a third at a time until well mixed through , next fold through sifted flour until all mixed and no lumps of flour through it should be quite a wet mix and try not to break apple to much when mixing cake mix

Step 5 – Pour cake mix into a well-greased cake tin. I usually use a piece of baking paper to smudge butter over cake tin surface then add a small handful of flour and just move the flour around all the greased surface - this will ensure it will never stick

Step 6 – Place in already preheated oven of 180c for 30 mins or until you can poke with a skewer and it comes out clean or better yet press the top lightly with a finger and it should spring right back

Note this cake recipe makes a rather wet cake.  It will hold once refrigerated but don’t be put off by the moisture content - that’s what makes it so moist and sticky

Candied Walnuts
• 2 cups of fresh walnuts whole
• 250ml water
• 250ml sugar

Step  1 – Preheat oven to 100c

Step  2 – Bring water and sugar to boil , place walnuts in syrup and simmer  for 2 mins. Drain walnuts off syrup and leave to cool for 2 mins. Let the steam dry them a little, then repeat the process but this time only for 1 min. Take out of syrup and place nuts on a flat roasting tray.

Step 3 – Place walnuts in oven and dry roast them for 45 mins they should go really crispy and brittle and also become really glossy as the sugar on the nuts sets