Eve's Pudding (a Traditional British Apple Dessert) (2024)

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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Eve’s pudding probably isn’t a dessert you’re familiar with if you live in the United States.

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Well, I’m planning to change that. I’d like to introduce you to one of Britain’s best dessert recipes. And let me bring up the elephant in the room when discussing a “really good British recipe.” At one time or another, you’ve probably heard someone talking about stereotypically “bad British food”, right?

The UK knows how to do breakfast right! Get the recipe for a Scottish breakfast sausage (Lorne sausage).

There is good and bad cuisine in all parts of the world.

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 an “authentic Italian recipe ” (you can read my tirade here).

One of my main goals in writing on this site 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. (Updated Nov. 2023: I wrote this before the Great British Bake Off was a “thing” and Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry were famous in the USA, so clearly, they’ve helped in my endeavour!)

Delicious hot cross buns are so easy to make!

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!

Try my peach cobbler recipe, too! Make it with fresh, frozen or canned peaches all year long!

Topping it off with hotcustard is almost a requirement, as it would be like wine without cheese (okay, that’s a bad example). How about: it would be like Batman without Robin, 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!

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)

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

A classic British dessert made with apples a sponge cake like topping.

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 lb Granny Smith or your choice of cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 tsp lemon juice (preferably organic)
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
• ¼ c (50 g) sugar (more or less to taste)

Topping

• 85 g (1/3 c plus 1 Tbsp) sugar
• 85 g (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten
• 115 g (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
2. Butter the inside of a pie dish, or similar sized baking dish.
3. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, lemon rind, and sugar, and toss to mix evenly. Put the apples into the greased pie dish and set aside.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl so that they are evenly mixed.
5. Cream the sugar and butter (for the topping) until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
6. Gently fold in the flour and baking powder, until well combined, without over mixing.
7. Spread the mixture evenly over the apples. It's fine if it doesn't cover all the fruit, and it will be more like a thick mixture than a runny batter.
8. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the sponge is firm and golden brown.
9. Enjoy with custard, preferably, or fresh cream.

Notes

• Granny Smith apples are best for this (if in the US)
• If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the flour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 283Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g

Nutrition information is only an estimate.

Did you make this recipe?

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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 fruits, like cherry, rhubarb or blueberry.

Delicious!!

Other simple apple recipes~

Caramel Apple Tart

Apple Puff Pancake

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