HEDGEROW SPONGE PUDDING This pudding is a celebration of the Great British Countryside and the fruits that nature delights us with. I made it with apples and blackberries because we were overrun with them, but you can swap the fruits for whatever you have a glut of; you really can’t go wrong!
For the fruit filling
For the fruit filling
300g Bramley apples, fresh or frozen
Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c fan) and grease an 11-inch (28cm) baking dish. Peel, core and dice your apples before putting them into your dish with the blackberries (or any other berries you’re using).
250g blackberries, freshly foraged or frozen 2 tbsp cornflour 1 tbsp granulated sugar For the sponge 250g self-raising flour (also works with gluten free self-raising flour) 50g British porridge oats (or rolled oats) 80g soft brown sugar 150g British unsalted butter, diced 2 medium British eggs
Sprinkle the cornflour and granulated sugar over the fruit, adding more sugar if you know the berries are particularly tart, and give it a quick stir. Place the dish of fruit in your preheated oven to bake for around 15 minutes while you make the sponge. For the sponge Place the flour, oats, soft brown sugar and butter into a bowl, or a food processor, and rub together, or pulse the processor, until the texture is like chunky breadcrumbs. Remove around 4 heaped dessert spoons of the crumbly mixture and set aside in a separate bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a mug and then stir them into the remaining mixture to create a smooth cake batter. Remove your baked fruit from the oven and give it another stir to make sure all the pieces are spread evenly across the dish, then pour the sponge mixture over the fruit and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture over the top of the cake mix and return the dish to the oven for a further 30 to 45 minutes, or until lightly golden and a skewer comes out clean (this will vary depending on your oven). Remove from the oven and allow the pudding to cool slightly (if you can wait) before scooping out generous portions and serving warm with cream, custard or vanilla ice cream. You can also pop leftovers into the fridge and reheat them the next day in the microwave. It’s also rather moreish when eaten on its own, even when cold and straight from the fridge (not that I’ve stolen a spoonful, or two, when passing…) so enjoy!
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