Eve's Pudding

Also known as 'mother Eve's pudding', this classic English dessert consists of a layer of stewed Bramley apples topped with a light sponge cake which are baked together in a dish. This cake is best served warm with custard, creme fraiche or double cream for drizzling on top (but it's also delicious at room temp!).

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword apple, custard, dessert, English, pudding

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 319kcal

Ingredients

Stewed apples:

675 g (around 2 large) cooking apples (i.e. Bramleys) you could also use a tart eating apple like a Granny Smith.
50 g sugar (caster/granulated/light brown) I used demerara
1 tbsp water
1 lemon, zest finely grated

Cake batter:

125 g unsalted butter or margarine, softened (plus 1 tbsp for greasing)
100 g caster sugar, granulated sugar or light brown sugar
2 medium eggs
50 g natural yogurt
125 g self-raising flour see notes if you want to use plain flour + baking powder instead
1 pinch salt
30 g ground almonds optional

To sprinkle

1 tbsp caster sugar, granulated sugar or demerara sugar optional

Instructions

For the stewed apples:

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. I like to slice the apples into a variety of sizes so that you get some which break down more and some which retain more texture.
675 g (around 2 large) cooking apples (i.e. Bramleys)
Place the sliced apples, sugar, water and lemon zest into a medium pot. Cover with a lid and place over a medium-low heat on the stove. Cook for 5 minutes, removing the lid occasionally to stir. Remove the lid and cook for a further 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and some have broken down into a saucey consistency.
50 g sugar (caster/granulated/light brown), 1 tbsp water, 1 lemon, zest finely grated

Butter the dish & preheat the oven:

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Take an ovenproof dish with a roughly 1 litre (2 pint) capacity and add roughly 1 tbsp of butter to it. Place the dish into the oven for 2 minutes so the butter can melt. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter around the base and up the sides of the dish.
Tip the cooked apples into the buttered dish and spread out into an even layer. Allow to cool for around 10 minutes as you make the batter.

Make the cake batter:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and light. Mix in the eggs one at a time - the mix may look curdled, this is okay! Mix in the yogurt.
125 g unsalted butter or margarine, softened, 100 g caster sugar, granulated sugar or light brown sugar, 2 medium eggs, 50 g natural yogurt
Add the flour, salt and ground almonds (if using) and stir together until no floury patches remain. Spread the batter over the cooled apples in the dish.
125 g self-raising flour, 1 pinch salt, 30 g ground almonds
Sprinkle with the extra sugar, if using, then bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
1 tbsp caster sugar, granulated sugar or demerara sugar
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving warm with custard/cream/creme fraiche, if you like!

Video

Notes

Use plain flour + baking powder: omit the self-raising flour. Instead, use 120g plain white flour (all-purpose flour) and 1.5 tsp baking powder

Nutrition