Pwdin Eva - Welsh Eve’s Pudding recipe has a light butter and egg sponge cake on top of brown sugar and cinnamon apples and baked to perfection for a warming Fall dessert that feels both rustic and unfussy.
This is best served with homemade or store bought custard is a way to warm up in this sweater weather. Have you enjoyed Welsh cuisine before? I'd love to hear your favorite dish from this small land to the west of England!
If you’ve never head of Pwdin Eva than you and I both are in the same boat and it was only after really searching for unique Welsh dishes that I found this. According to the very short bio on Wikipedia, the first known recipe of this dates back to 1824 though obviously it hasn’t traveled outside Welsh borders much so that explains how it might be making it's introduction to you here. Every nation has it’s local apples and it’s local apple recipes as seen by the vast array of recipes already found on this blog.
How to prepare Welsh Eve’s Pudding
- Prepare the apples: Mix your cubed apples with sugar, lemon juice and zest together in your baking dish.
- Beat your butter and sugar: These need to be mixed until pale and fluffy.
- Add individual eggs: Add one egg and beat and repeat.
- Dry ingredient time: Add flour and baking powder and combine until your sponge is formed.
- Spoon on top: Spoon the sponge batter over the top of your apples.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake until golden brown.
- Finish: Sprinkle a little confectioner's or icing sugar over the top and drizzle custard on top of the pudding.
- Serve: Spoon into your serving bowls and dig in!
Ingredients and substitutions for Welsh Eve’s Pudding
- Apples: The apples used here were a mixture of ones I had picked and Granny Smith apples, meaning a variety of sizes and the fact the flesh browned quicker than store bought. If you cannot pick your apples, it is recommended to use either Granny Smith or Royal Gala. These apples have a firm texture that hold their shape during baking and a slight sweetness which requires less added sugar.
- Sugar: The brown sugar helps to compliment the ground cinnamon to our apples whilst the superfine or caster sugar is best for the pudding batter as it's light and adds a hint of sweetness without adding additional flavors.
- Lemon juice & Cinnamon: The lemon juice helps draw out moisture from the apples and stops browning, plain fresh lemon juice was used here as it has no additives. Ground cinnamon helps to give a depth of flavor to our pudding so is recommended, though you can omit if you don’t like the flavor.
- Butter: Plain unsalted was used here, though you could substitute with salted, though you might want to omit the salt from the dough.
- Flour: Plain or all purpose flour helps to create a nice light batter, however, bread flour would also work at a pinch.
- Baking powder: This helps our pudding rise and it is not recommended to replace with baking soda like for like for this recipe as it is 3-4 times stronger so you would need plenty more which would leave an after taste!
- Eggs: As well as adding structure to the pudding, the eggs will bind everything together so are essential. See recipe card for quantities.
See recipe card for quantities.
FAQ's for the best Welsh Eve’s Pudding
What apples are best for this dessert?
The sweetness of the plainer cooking apples will come through, not making an overly sweet dish, so if you prefer this being sweet, than I recommend using half cooking or baking apples (such as Granny Smith) and subbing the remaining half with Honeycrisp or Braeburn.
More apple dishes you'll love
Tarte de Maçã - Portuguese Apple Tart
How to make Welsh Eve’s Pudding:
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Place the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, zest and ground cinnamon into your baking dish and stir together until well coated. Set aside.
For the sponge topping, place the butter and sugar into a bowl and combine on medium with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
Add one egg and beat until well combined, repeat with the remaining egg.
Toss in the flour and baking powder and combine on the lowest setting until combined and no dry portions remain in the base or edges of your bowl.
Spoon over your apples and smooth out evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is a deep golden brown.
Remove and allow to cool. Sprinkle confectioner's/icing sugar over the top.
Serve warm with a little warm custard drizzled over.
Enjoy!
Welsh Eve’s Pudding
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Fall, Crumbles & Puddings
- Cuisine: Welsh
Description
This underrated Pwdin Eva - Welsh Eve’s Pudding recipe bakes into a soft apple base with a sponge topping and is best served with a drizzle of custard.
Ingredients
Apples
500 grams / 1 pound cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely cubed
50 grams / ¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sponge cake
100 grams / 3.5 ounces tablespoons butter, room temperature
60 grams / ⅓ cup caster/superfine sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
120 grams / ¾ cup plain flour
3 grams / ¾ teaspoon baking powder
To serve
½ cup warm custard
Instructions
Apples
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
- Place the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, zest and ground cinnamon into your baking dish and stir together until well coated. Set aside.
Sponge cake
- Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and combine on medium with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add one egg and beat until well combined, repeat with the remaining egg.
- Toss in the flour and baking powder and combine on the lowest setting until combined and no dry portions remain in the base or edges of your bowl.
- Spoon over your apples and smooth out evenly.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is a deep golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Sprinkle confectioner's/icing sugar over the top.
- Serve warm with a little warm custard drizzled over.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Sweetness of your apples: The sweetness of the plainer cooking apples will come through, not making an overly sweet dish, so if you prefer this being sweet, than I recommend using half cooking or baking apples (such as Granny Smith) and subbing the remaining half with Honeycrisp or Braeburn.
The top of the sponge: The crust of the sponge will be slightly crisper, so do not be surprised by this when you push your spoon in once it is served, but the center is very much a sponge texture that you know and love.
Serving your pudding: The pudding will also serve well with a drizzle of cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream, though the warm custard accompanies best.
Adapted from Just a Pinch
Nutrition
- Calories: 434 calories per serve
Keywords: apple baking, welsh recipe
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