Recipe and words extracted from Food for Thought: A NZ-grown cookbook from the BearLion kitchen by Alesha Bilbrough-Collins
I love good cake. If you have good cake, it’s unreal how quickly it can disabear! I love the addition of the apples in this recipe and the ease of upside-down cakes is always a delight. If you don’t have apples, any other fruit is welcome. Use coconut yoghurt if dairy-free baking is desired.

Upside-down apple and polenta cake
Serves 8-12
Ingredients
2 red apples, sliced
3 green apples, diced
3 eggs
100g melted coconut oilor 100ml olive oil
70g sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
130g (130ml) yoghurt
1/4 cup fine polenta
55g almond meal
90g spelt flour, sieved
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp each zest and lemon juice
Method
Preheat oven to 160˚C fan bake.
Place sliced apple in a layered pattern in the bottom of a greased or lined round 20-centimetre cake tin.
In a bowl or electric beater, whisk eggs, oil, sugar, salt, vanilla and yoghurt until light and fluffy.
Place all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until combined. Add the diced apple and wet mix, and continue to fold through until evenly mixed.
Pour the cake batter over the slices and bake for 30–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave for 10–15 minutes and then turn out to cool, baby. Served with lemon curd in the picture. Try garnishing with your own favourite selection of edible flowers.
—
Alesha Bilbrough-Collins (The Lion) is a chef who has worked across the hospitality industry, including stints for Ottolenghi and Ramsay Holdings in London. Returning to New Zealand, Alesha and husband John (The Bear) opened BearLion Foods, which has had various incarnations, and these days operates as a sustainable and organic food, catering and private chef business based in Upper Moutere, Tasman.
More recipes by BearLion Kitchen —
Garlic potatoes with smashed peas, pecorino, cumin, dill + chilli

Food for Thought: A NZ-grown cookbook from the BearLion kitchen
From the BearLion kitchen by Alesha Bilbrough-Collins, published by Bateman Books, RRP$55, available now.
Buy Now