This Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing is a moist and fluffy layer cake that's naturally green! You can't taste the kale, but it leaves a vibrant green colour and some goodness behind. It tastes like apple cake and has a zingy apple frosting.
½cup(100g) applesauce(see notes on how to make your own)
¾cup(175g) granulated sugar
2applespeeled and grated
2cups(250g) plain flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
½teaspoonsalt
For the Apple Icing
2cups(250g) icing sugar
2tablespoonsbuttersoftened
2tablespoonsapplesaucesmooth, puree if necessary
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line 2 x 8”(20cm) round cake tins with baking paper.
Tear the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces and boil or steam for a few minutes until tender. Refresh by running under cold water, drain and puree well with a hand blender. **Kale is one of the more difficult vegetables to puree since it's quite fibrous. I've found that a hand blender works best. Persevere for a few minutes to blitz the fibrous leaves to a paste. If necessary, add a little of the applesauce when pureeing to make it easier to blitz.** It will still be slightly stringy. Set aside.
Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, applesauce and sugar together well with an electric mixer. Beat in the kale puree and grated apple.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and gently combine, taking care not to overmix at this stage.
Pour into the prepared tins and bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Cool for 2 minutes in the tins and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Apple Icing: Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the other ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
Store in the fridge until ready to use. Frost the completely cooled cake.
Notes
If you don't have applesauce, just peel, core and slice some apples, steam until soft and puree.