Gluten-free apple and pecan cake

Whether you’re following a gluten-free diet or not, you’ll be putting your hand up for a slice of this scrumptious fruity cake. - by Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

Cooking oil spray, to grease

700g (about 4) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

Juice of 2 lemons

1 cup gluten-free plain flour

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ cup almond meal

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 egg yolks

¼ cup white sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 22cm round springform cake tin with cooking oil and line with baking paper. Line a roasting pan with foil and put cake tin in pan. In a large heatproof bowl, toss apple with lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high/100% for 2 minutes or until apple is soft. Set aside to cool.
Put 2½ Tbsp of the flour in a medium bowl with pecan. Set aside. Sift remaining flour, baking powder and xanthan gum into a large bowl. Stir in almond meal and caster sugar, then beat in egg, oil, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add 1 cup of the batter to pecan mixture and beat until smooth.
Stir yolks into remaining batter, then fold in cooled apple. Spoon into prepared cake tin and flatten with a palette knife. Beat pecan mixture until smooth, then spread over top. Sprinkle over white sugar. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until centre is firm to touch. Allow to cool in tin for 15 minutes, then release from tin and cool on
a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Slice and serve.