Eve’s Pudding is a traditional British apple dessert which entails a cake-like topping on baked apples. Served with custard, it’s another brilliant “keeper” of a recipe
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At some time or another, you’ve probably heard someone talking about stereotypically “bad British food”, right?
There is good and bad cuisine in all parts of the world.
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First of all, I cannot tell you how much this upsets me. I almost get as angry as when someone posts a horrific pasta sauce recipe and claims it’s the “best-ever” or that it is “authentic” (you can read my tirade here).
One of my main goals in writing this blog is to enlighten the American public, and the rest of the world, that British cuisine and baking is some of the best in the world.
If you think I’m joking, I am not. I’d hazard a guess that many of those who bash British food have never even stepped foot on UK soil! I have caught some of those people myself, and boy, do they get an earful. For example, have you ever tried Eve’s Pudding? It’s a delightfully light and tasty apple dessert which is a traditional British concoction.
What is Eve’s Pudding?
I would guess that Eve’s Pudding may actually be the inspiration for American apple cobbler, as the earliest known version of Eve’s Pudding is dated back to 1823. Some American cobblers have the fruit on top of the pastry, but Eve’s Pudding has the pastry on top which means no soggy bottom!
Topping it off with hot custard is almost a requirement, as it would be like wine without cheese (okay, that’s a bad example). How about Laurel without Hardy, if you didn’t pour some lovely custard on top!
Eve’s Pudding takes almost no time to make, so I hope you’ll try this recipe and come back to let me know what you think of this traditional British recipe. Cheers!
Eve’s Pudding
(a Traditional British Apple Dessert)
slightly adapted from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Cookery and Household Management
(printable recipe below)
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb Granny Smith or your choice of cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- grated rind and juice of 1 lemon (preferably organic)
- 6 oz (3/4 cup) sugar (separated into 2 equal amounts-about 1/3 plus 1 tbsp)
- 3 oz (3/4 stick) butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 oz (1 cup minus 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Recipe for Homemade Custard or you can use Bird’s Custard Powder
Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
Butter the inside of a pie dish, or similar sized baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl so that they are evenly mixed.
Next, place the sliced apples in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, lemon rind, half of the sugar (3 oz). Stir until well combined. Put the apples into the greased pie dish and set aside.
Cream the remaining (3 oz) sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
Next, gently fold in the flour and baking powder, until well combined, without overmixing.
Spread the mixture evenly over the apples.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the sponge is firm and golden brown.
Enjoy with custard, preferably, or fresh cream.
Most Brits use Bird’s Custard which is an egg-free powder which became popular during the war. However, you can make your own homemade custard, which is an incredibly delicious dessert on its own.
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Eve's Pudding (a Traditional British Apple Dessert)
A classic British dessert made with apples a sponge cake like topping.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Granny Smith or your choice of cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- grated rind and juice of 1 lemon (preferably organic)
- 6 oz (3/4 cup) sugar (separated into 2 equal amounts-about 1/3 plus 1 tbsp)
- 3 oz (3/4 stick) butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 oz (1 cup minus 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
- Butter the inside of a pie dish, or similar sized baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl so that they are evenly mixed.
- Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, lemon rind, half of the sugar (3 oz), and stir well. Put the apples into the greased pie dish and set aside.
- Cream the remaining (3 oz) sugar and butter until light and fluffy, beat in the egg.
- Gently fold in the flour and baking powder, until well combined, without over mixing.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the sponge is firm and golden brown.
- Enjoy with custard, preferably, or fresh cream.
Notes
Granny Smith apples are best for this (if in the US)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving:Calories: 283Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information is only an estimate.
Eve’s Pudding makes reference to the apple in this dish (Adam and Eve), so I don’t know what I’d call this dessert, but I have made it with a combination of apples, plums and peaches, too! Try it with your favorite pie fruit, like cherry, rhubarb or blueberry.
Delicious!!
Other simple apple recipes~
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British food got a bad reputation in the mid 20th century due to the draconian war and post war rationing laws.
I’m so excited to try this. I loved visiting England and Scotland and to try the yummy dishes. Is this recipe best served right away or can it be served a few hours later.
Hi Rebecca, you’ll love it! I prefer it warm out of the oven (just cooled a bit) but it’s totally fine a few hours later, too! Enjoy!