The cottage we live in lies in the beautiful English countryside atop a hillside in rural Kent. We are almost totally surrounded by fruit orchards . . . apples of all varities and pears. It makes for great beauty in the springtime when the air is filled with the sight and smell of beautiful blossom . . . and in the late summer and early autumn, the air is filled with the smell of ripening apples.
We often walk through the orchards as there is a public footpath that runs past our humble home and on through the orchards. Jess, our Border Collie, loves to wander through them with us, quite often with one of the drops in her mouth. Playing ball is her favourite game to play and an apple is just another ball to her . . .
One of the nice things is that we are allowed to pick up the drops ourselves and we often do. I'll bring them home and make a big pot of applesauce if they are cooking apples . . . big green Bramely Apples . . . tart and full of that wonderful apple flavour. Each year I am able to make lots of applesauce with the apples that we find as well as pies, cakes and this delicious dessert, called Eve's Pudding, comprised of scrumptious stewed apples baked beneath a thatch of delicious sponge cake. Lashings of custard are a MUST have, or you can do cream . . . as you wish.
We are partial to custard though . . .
This is one tasty mess that Eve got Adam into . . .
*Eve's Pudding*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This pudding is proof positive that you can create something totally delicious with a few simple ingredients. This is an old English favourite from way back.
400g cooking apples (about 2 1/2 cups)
the grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
75g demerara sugar (6 TBS Turbinado)
2 TBS water
75g of butter, plus more for greasing the pudding pan (1/3 cup)
75g caster sugar (6 1/2 TBS)
1 large free range egg
100g self raising flour (3/4 cup plus 1 TBS)
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly butter a 1 litre baking dish. Set aside.
Peel, core and slice the apples thinly. Place them into a bowl and mix together with the lemon zest, lemon juice, demerara sugar and the water. Pour this mixture into the buttered baking dish.
Cream the butter together with the caster sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. mixing it in well. Fold in the flour lightly and then spread the resulting batter over top of the apples in the baking dish.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the apples are soft and the sponge is firm and nicely browned.
Serve warm with lashings of custard or cream!
Hi Marie I don't know how you do it but when I read many of your posts I am instantly transported back to the kitchen of my childhood. My Mother made many of these dishes. They didn't have names... ahhh.. but they were memorable. Thank you. Thank you for naming and offering to us these gorgeous recipes and a special Thank you for the trips down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves all these desserts..I like that they are made with things one usually has in their garde-manger:)
ReplyDeleteThere was always pudding in our house, as kids, and this was one of them. It was usually for Sunday after a blow-out of roast beef and Yorkshires. I remember that because it was also the day when us kids had orange juice frpm the milkman and this pudding absolutely didn't go with orange juice! We all used to save our juice until tea time.
ReplyDeletelove, Angie, xx
OMG this totally reminds me of when I was little! We lived in Kirby Muxloe before we moved to the states. I must make this, but what is demerara sugar?
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight and it is so delicious, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI made this pudding yesterday, Well I must tell you, you are a genius, it was unbelievably scrumptious, it was REAL food, like I remember food from my childhood, food that had flavour. My 15 yr old, could hardly contain herself when she tasted it, I'm bookmarking your page, your now my favourite cook!
ReplyDeleteI made this today.. It was lovely - even my husband who is not a pudding person liked it. Only problem was that when I took it out the oven the top was nicely browned but apple was not soft. I ended up zapping it in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes which to my surprise worked just fine. Next time I will slightly stew the apples first.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline
I think it all depends on the type of cooking apple you use Jacq. I used Bramley's here, which is what cooking apples are called in the UK. A Granny Smith however would take longer. Bramley's tend to cook rather quickly and end up fluffy. It is a good idea to slightly stew other varieties first!
ReplyDeleteWhat is Caster Sugar? Thanks
ReplyDeleteCaster Sugar is a finer type of granulated sugar June. It comes in white or natural. You may substitute regular granulated sugar if that is all you have with no noticeable difference. xo
DeleteHi, can i use light brown sugar instead ?
ReplyDeleteI can't see why not Daphne! Let me know how you get on!
DeleteHello....I just found your site & love it! I'd love to receive emails about anything new...recipes, events,anything from you. Everything I've looked at & read about you is what I love to read about & admire. Will do my best to keep checking your recipes. Thank you. ��
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Anonymous. If you look at the right hand column you will see about halfway down the option to follow me by e-mail. It is just to the right of the very most bottom photo of this post! Thanks for your lovely comment! You made my day! xo
DeleteBest ever recipe, I come back to this every time - should remember it by now lol. Thank you Marie, Lindsey Woolley
ReplyDeleteAww Lindsey, thanks so much for saying so. I really need to do it again and redo the photos! These are appalling! xoxo
Delete