Eve's Pudding Recipe with Spices and Caramelised Apples

An epicurean adventure to: The United Kingdom

Eve's Pudding holds a special place in the heart of British culinary tradition. It's a timeless classic that always brings a touch of nostalgia to our tables.

A warmly spiced, caramelised layer of apples cosily rests beneath a sweet vanilla sponge, elegantly crowned with your choice of warm custard, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Confession time: We had never given Eve's Pudding a look-in, thinking it was a bit too old-fashioned and simple. Boy, were we sorely mistaken!

If you happen to be a post-'80s baby and you've been giving this pudding the side-eye, it's time for a reevaluation - It's a delicious dessert!

In our recipe, we amp up the flavours by incorporating cinnamon, nutmeg and light brown sugar into the apple layer for a delicately spiced and beautifully caramelised layer.

While Bramley apples are the traditional stars, feel free to raid your fruit bowl – any apples will work their magic.

The sponge is a close cousin to a straightforward Victoria sponge, using equal parts of butter, flour and sugar.

But let's dive in! Follow our straightforward step-by-step photo guide below and treat your loved ones to this British icon today!

Fast facts - United Kingdom

Location	The United Kingdom (UK) is located in North-western Europe, comprising four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Capital	London.
Language	In addition to English and Welsh, the United Kingdom is home to a rich linguistic diversity with twelve other indigenous languages used including Gaelic, Cornish, Manx, Scots and three sign languages. English stands as the most widely spoken language, while Cornish is among the least commonly used.
Population	Circa 66.8 million people.
Trivia	London's smallest statue depicts two mice engaged in a tussle over a piece of cheese. The backstory of this miniature sculpture is rather sombre. While constructing a monument, two builders tragically met their fate in a dispute over a sandwich, only for the contested snack to be devoured by a mouse.

Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.

The Apples

Traditionally, Bramley apples, also known as cooking apples, are the go-to choice for Eve's pudding. However, truth be told, you can use any type of apples you have on hand.

Do note, there's a small advantage to choosing cooking apples. They tend to be a bit more tart than eating apples, creating a nice contrast with the sweet sponge topping.

Another perk is that they maintain their shape better while cooking, adding to the overall texture of the dessert.

But if you can't get hold of Bramley's, by all means, use apples like Granny Smiths, Golden Delicious, Royal Gala, Pink Ladies etc.

A final note on the apples: In many classic Eve's pudding recipes, the apples are added to the baking dish without cooking.

However, we've noticed that this sometimes doesn't give the apples sufficient time to soften or the sugar to caramelise properly. Therefore, in our recipe, we opt to cook them for a quick 5 minutes beforehand.

Fresh lemon juice

Lemon juice is mostly included with the apples to keep them from turning brown. It stops them from oxidizing. If you're concerned about this, you can add the two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice as mentioned in the recipe.

Not to worry if you don't have lemon juice. The apples might get a bit browner without it but it won't affect the taste.

In fact, some chefs intentionally skip adding lemon juice because they want the apples to have an appealing brown hue in the dish after they're cooked.

We achieve that brown colour with the addition of brown sugar anyway.

Light brown sugar (for the apples)

This is for the apple layer and not the sponge topping. You can also use dark brown sugar.

While white sugar is used in the traditional recipe, we prefer using brown sugar as it brings a richer depth of flavour to the cooked apples.

The spices

The pièce de résistance!

In this recipe, we include cinnamon and nutmeg but feel free to get creative! Don't hesitate to switch up the spices with other winter favourites such as ginger, a hint of cloves, mace or mixed spice.

Sultanas

Apples and sultanas are a match made in heaven. If you like, you can switch the sultanas to golden sultanas or raisins. No need to soak them beforehand, they'll become wonderfully juicy as they cook.

Caster sugar

Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar, making it ideal for recipes where a smoother texture is desired, like in baking cakes and this pudding in particular.

The topping for Eve's pudding is essentially a Victoria sponge, so the same rules apply to baking a cake.

However, in a pinch, use granulated sugar.

Butter

In baking, we always opt for unsalted butter to have better control over saltiness. However, feel free to swap it with salted butter if you prefer for this recipe.

Make sure the butter is softened at room temperature before you begin. Otherwise, it will be challenging to 'cream' it to the right consistency with the sugar.

How to make Eve's Pudding: Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/340F/gas mark 3.

2. Lightly butter a medium-sized baking/ovenproof dish or pudding bowl.
   
   (Our oval dish used is 24cm x 17cm x 7cm.)

Prepare the apple filling

3. Wash, peel, core and slice the apples into thin slices.
   
   As a rough guide, for larger apples like Bramleys, quarter them and then slice each quarter into three. If you're using smaller ones like Granny Smith apples, you may only need to halve each quarter.

4. Tip the apples along with the light brown sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt and sultanas into a large lidded frying pan, or lidded saucepan.

5. Place the pan over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar starts melting. Once you see it starting to melt, cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Stir a couple of times during this period.

6. After the 5 minutes, take the pan off the heat. Stir the apples to coat them in the caramel sauce and spices, then set the pan aside to cool. Don't transfer the apples to the baking dish just yet.
   
   Note: You don't want soft apples at this point as they will continue softening in the oven. Don't be tempted to cook it for longer than 5 minutes.

Make the sponge topping

7. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract.

8. Beat together at a medium-high speed for approximately 5 minutes minimum until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy.
   
   You can also use a wooden spoon and a bit of elbow grease for this step.

9. Add one room-temperature egg and beat well until incorporated. Add the second egg and beat again. It should take approximately 1-2 minutes.

10. Next, add the milk and beat again for approximately 1 minute.

11. In a separate bowl, stir together the self-raising flour and the baking powder. A fork works well for this step.

12. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter. Using a very low speed on your mixer, beat just until most of the flour has been incorporated.

13. Add the second half and gently beat again using a very low speed. Stop as soon as the flour has been incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.

14. Use a spatula to gently scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate any remaining flour into the sponge mixture with a few gentle folds.

Assembling the pudding

15. Revisit the apple mixture in the pan. The cooled, thicker sauce will now adhere better to the apples, so give them another good stir through the sauce.

16. Transfer the apple filling to the baking dish. Gently press the apples down and level the surface as much as possible. This ensures an even bake for the sponge topping.

17. Spoon the cake batter on top of the apples in large dollops.

18. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the batter out, ensuring it covers the dish from side to side. Take care to 'seal' the edges so the apple filling won't bubble up onto the sponge topping during baking.

19. Place the pudding in the preheated oven on the middle shelf.

20. Let it bake undisturbed for 25 minutes without opening the oven door. After 25 minutes, loosely cover the dish with foil to prevent the top from browning too much.

21. Keep baking for an additional 30-35 minutes until the middle of the cake feels firm and spongy, a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the sponge part and the top is golden brown.
    
    Important: Make sure the middle of the sponge is thoroughly cooked and springs back before removing the pudding from the oven, otherwise, it might collapse and create a dent in the middle.

22. Serve warm with lashings of custard, a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds.

Variations

• Switch up the spices and use your favourites.

• Scatter flaked almonds on top of the pudding before baking. We like to toast flaked almonds separately and sprinkle them over the pudding after baking. It gives a lovely nutty, toasty flavour.

• Sprinkle with demerara sugar before baking.

• Swap the vanilla extract with almond extract.

• Swap the apples with plums or pears or go half and half.

• Add lemon zest to the sponge and/or the apple filling.

Serving suggestions

• Custard or Crème Pâtissière.

• Vanilla ice cream.

• Whipped cream.

• Toasted nuts.

• Creme fraiche.

• A sprinkle of demerara sugar for crunch.

• Can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature.

Storage

• Allow the pudding to cool completely before storing.

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

• It's best when consumed within 2-3 days.

Reheating

• To reheat a single serving, microwave on a low setting or use an oven at a low temperature until warmed through.

• For the entire pudding, place it in the oven at a low temperature until heated.

Freezing

• Eve's pudding can be frozen, either as a whole or in individual portions.

• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil before placing in the freezer.

• To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.

• Reheat following the reheating suggestions above.

Keep in mind that freezing and reheating may slightly affect the texture but the flavour should remain delicious.

Why is it called Eve's pudding?

Named in homage to the biblical Eve residing in the Garden of Eden, this recipe features apples, the forbidden fruit, as its foundation. Its earliest known version dates back to 1824.

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