Apple and Blackberry Pudding | A Winter Story, Brambly Hedge
'Is that you, dear?' called Mrs Apple as he let himself in through the front door. Delicious smells wafted down from the kitchen. Mrs Apple had spent the afternoon baking pies, cakes and puddings for the cold days to come.
Winter Story, Brambly Hedge
Jill Barklem
I’m writing this entry while firmly wrapped in a blanket with a hot water bottle tucked up under my feet. It’s officially winter here and my favourite time of the year. There’s nothing better to me than walking home from work, headphones on and hood up, as the rain drizzles around me. I adore being able to spend my days inside with endless pots of tea and soft music filling the air. Being able to keep the balcony doors open as the rain pours down just outside, and that utterly lovely smell of fresh, clean rain spreads through the air.
Anyway, I really enjoy winter.
The Brambly Hedge books are a memory from my childhood that I think will always have a space in my mind. Growing up in the middle of the Australian bush, I remember wishing desperately that I could build a tiny home in a tree stump and have my days spent baking pies and jams for the native mice. Much like the mice within Brambly Hedge, stocking up a tiny larder for the colder months, with a fire warming the rooms.
Alas, I moved to a city, to a tiny apartment. Instead I’m spending my winter days making stews, soups and puddings to combat the cold. The below apple and blackberry pudding is one such, it’s got enough fruit that it feels somewhat healthy (…sure), while also being delicious. The recipe comes from Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s cookbook, A Year of Simple Family Food. I’ve changed the recipe slightly to be plant-based.
Apple and Blackberry Pudding
Ingredients
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
300g blackberries, frozen or fresh
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 lemon, zested and juiced
100g raw caster sugar
100g butter
50ml milk
2 tsp No Egg, mixed with 4 tbsp water
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
To Serve
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp raw caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cream or ice cream
Preheat the oven to 190C, and grease a baking dish with butter.
Slice the cored and peeled apples thinly and place into a bowl along with the lemon juice and vanilla paste. Toss to combine, add in the blackberries and fill the prepared baking dish with the mixed fruit.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add in the no egg and water and mix together. Stir the milk in, and then add the lemon zest and flour, mixing until the batter is smooth.
Spread the batter over the fruit, smoothing it across. Bake for approx. 45 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.
5 minutes before the pudding is ready to come out, combine the cinnamon and raw caster sugar together. When the pudding is done and removed from the oven brush the top with the melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top. Serve with cream or ice cream. Enjoy!
