Eve's Pudding with Blackberry

Sep 16, 2021

Here’s an autumnal twist to a classic apple pudding. The hedgerows where I live are bursting forth with lovely tangy blackberries at the moment. I love gathering them at the end of the Summer - despite the thorn and nettle injuries this usually incurs. I love scoffing them too. Their flavour has so much more character and balls than the fat puffy blackberries you can buy all the year round in the supermarket.

Eve's pudding is bit of a golden oldie. When was the last time you ate it?  This century?  It makes a very agreeable change from crumble, crumble and oh alright then, a bit more crumble. The apples in this pud have come from my tree – they’re not cookers but they do the job perfectly well. The apple quantities I’m afraid are approximate. I use 4 but this allows for cutting a few bruises and holes out of them first. Basically you need enough chopped apples to generously cover the bottom of the ovenproof dish you’ll use. And enough blackberries to scatter over the top of those. (The dish I’ve used is 20cm in diameter).

I’ve added a little ginger spice to the fruit. Not in quantities that turn this into this a ginger and fruit pud but just enough to define and give some character to this dessert’s gentler sweetness.

I recommend eating this lovely pud warm, with either a little whipped cream, or some thick luscious natural yogurt, or .....yoo hoo!...some sugar free custard on the side. (You can find ingredients and method for a sugar free custard  right here, below the pud ingredients).

THE FRUIT BIT
3 or 4 apples washed and chopped
100g blackberries
20g butter
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sweetener (I used Erythritol brown sugar replacement)
1 tsp dried ginger.

THE SPONGE BIT
4 eggs
50g melted butter
200g almond flour
4 tbsp sweetener (I used Erythritol brown sugar replacement)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
Zest of 1 lemon
A handful of slice almonds to decorate

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/180C
To make the fruit layer, melt a generous knob of butter in a pan. Add the chopped apples, lemon juice, sweetener and ginger, stir to mix the ingredients and cook to the point that the apple pieces have softened but still retain their shape.
Turn out into the ovenproof dish.
Scatter the blackberries over the top.

To make the sponge, whizz the eggs, vanilla essence, lemon zest and sweetener together until the eggs are light and frothy.
Pour in the melted butter and mix well.
Add the almond flour and stir in well with a wooden spoon.
Pour the mixture over the top of the fruit and smooth down evenly.
Scatter some almond slices over the top.

Cook for 30 minutes. Check the sponge is cooked by popping a knife into the centre. It should come out clean.

FOR THE CUSTARD
150ml dairy or soya cream
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cornflour
1/ ½ tbsp birch xylitol
1 ½ tsp vanilla paste

Heat the cream in a pan and gently bring it to below boiling point.
Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk the egg yolk, sweetener, vanilla and cornflour.
Gradually pour in the hot cream whisking constantly.
Now pour everything back in the saucepan.
Heat gently stirring well until the custard has thickened.