This easy Eve's pudding is a classic British dessert made with a layer of soft, tart Bramley apples topped with a light and fluffy vanilla sponge. The apples are cooked until almost completely broken down, creating a smooth, jammy apple layer underneath the golden sponge.
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Quick Summary - Eve's Pudding
This is one of those simple puddings my whole family loves, especially served warm with plenty of custard. I cook the Bramley apples until they're really soft, as my kids prefer the smooth texture. I also love how their tartness cuts through the sweet vanilla sponge, so the finished pudding never feels overly sweet. Beth (Effortless Foodie)
🕒 Ready In: Prep time - 12 minutes, Cook time - 35 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: 583
🥣 Main Ingredients: Bramley apples, butter, golden caster sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, vanilla extract, lemon juice, caster sugar, cinnamon.
👩🍳 Difficulty: Easy
👌 Why this recipe? Cooking the Bramleys until very soft creates a smooth, tangy apple layer that contrasts perfectly with the sweet fluffy sponge.
Summarise & Save This Content On
This simple recipe for Eves pudding makes a delicious change from the usual apple crumble and apple cake recipes during apple season.
I always use Bramley cooking apples for my Eve's pudding recipe. Their sharp flavour works brilliantly against the sweet sponge, and when cooked until very soft they create the smooth apple filling my kids prefer.
Serve warm with plenty of creamy custard for an easy family pudding that's especially good during autumn and winter.
Love Bramley apples? You might also like my easy cinnamon apple muffins recipe, air fryer apple crumble, slow cooker stewed apples, and apple loaf cake!
Jump to:
- Quick Summary - Eve's Pudding
- Why you'll love this Eve's pudding recipe!
- 5* Reader review
- Ingredient notes
- Need to substitute an ingredient?
- What are the best apples for Eve's pudding?
- Variations
- Make it even better
- How to make Eve's pudding
- Beth's top tips
- Serving suggestions
- Storage
- Freezing
- Can I make Eve's pudding ahead?
- Troubleshooting guide
- Eve's pudding FAQs
- More easy Bramley apple recipes
- Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why you'll love this Eve's pudding recipe!
- Tart Bramley apples balance the sweetness of the sponge and naturally break down during cooking.
- The apples are cooked first, so they're completely tender by the time the sponge is baked. A soft apple filling creates a lovely contrast with the light, fluffy sponge.
- A simple sponge topping made with equal quantities of butter, sugar and flour is quick and reliable.
- It's an easy family pudding made with inexpensive everyday ingredients and no complicated techniques.
5* Reader review
What a special recipe! I love the combination of the soft sponge with the apple filling. Perfect for autumn!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Liza
Ingredient notes
A full ingredients list along with Metric and US Customary measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Bramley apples - I use Bramley cooking apples because their tart flavour is a great contrast to the sweet sponge. They also break down beautifully when cooked.
Caster sugar - sweetens the tart Bramleys. You'll also need caster sugar for the sponge.
Cinnamon - adds a subtle warmth to the apple filling. You can leave it out if you prefer a more traditional plain apple flavour.
Butter - use softened unsalted butter for the sponge.
Eggs - bring them to room temperature before making the sponge if you can.
Self-raising flour - gives the sponge its light, fluffy texture.
Vanilla extract - adds flavour to the sponge and complements the apples.
Need to substitute an ingredient?
Have an allergy or dietary preference? Let AI customise the recipe for you.
What are the best apples for Eve's pudding?
I always make Eve's pudding with Bramley apples. I haven't tested this particular recipe with other varieties because Bramleys give me exactly the result I want.
They have a naturally sharp, tart flavour which stops the finished pudding from becoming overly sweet. More importantly, Bramleys break down beautifully when cooked.
Variations
- Add berries - scatter a handful of blackberries or raspberries over the cooked apples before adding the sponge. Apple and blackberry is especially good in early autumn.
- Add ginger - add a little ground ginger to the apple mixture for extra warmth.
- Add lemon - finely grated lemon zest works well in either the apples or sponge.
- Skip the cinnamon - leave it out if you want the flavour to be purely apple and vanilla.
- Add ground almonds - For a slightly richer, moister sponge with a subtle nutty flavour, replace 25g of the self-raising flour with 25g ground almonds. Flaked almonds can also be scattered over the top before baking for extra crunch.
Make it even better
Add protein - Serve with thick Greek yogurt instead of cream or custard for an easy protein boost.
Add fibre - Serve with a handful of berries.
Add healthy fats - Scatter a small handful of chopped walnuts or flaked almonds over the sponge before baking.
Use less sugar - You can experiment with slightly reducing the sugar in the apple filling, but remember that Bramley apples are naturally very tart.
How to make Eve's pudding
One: Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°fan/ Gas 4/ 350°F) and lightly grease a 1.5-2 litre baking dish.
Beth's top tips
- Use Bramley apples. Their tartness balances the sweet sponge and they break down much more readily than most eating apples.
- Cook the apples until very soft. Don't worry if they look almost mushy - that's intentional in this recipe.
- Watch the moisture. Bramleys can release varying amounts of juice. You want a soft apple mixture rather than a very watery one.
- Use softened butter. It will cream much more easily with the sugar and help create a light sponge.
- Don't mix the layers. Spoon the sponge gently over the apple and spread it carefully to the edges.
- Check the sponge, not the apples. When testing whether the pudding is done, insert your skewer into the sponge layer.
Serving suggestions
Serve Eve's pudding with custard, whipped cream, clotted cream, or even vanilla ice cream (my honeycomb ice cream goes well with it too).
It's also delicious with creme fraiche, evaporated milk, or Greek yogurt.
Storage
Allow leftover Eve's pudding to cool completely before covering it and storing it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave until piping hot before serving.
Freezing
Eve's pudding can also be frozen. Allow the baked pudding to cool completely, portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating thoroughly.
Can I make Eve's pudding ahead?
If you want to get ahead, I recommend making the apple filling in advance and keeping it covered in the fridge.
I prefer to make the sponge batter shortly before assembling and baking the pudding rather than leaving uncooked sponge batter sitting on top of the apples for a long period.
Troubleshooting guide
Why is my Eve's pudding soggy?
The apple mixture may have contained too much liquid. Bramley apples vary in juiciness, so if the filling looks particularly watery, cook it for a little longer before transferring it to the baking dish.
Why has the sponge sunk into the apples?
A very wet apple filling can make it harder for the sponge to sit neatly on top. Make sure the apples are soft but not swimming in liquid, and spoon the thick sponge batter gently over them.
Why is the middle of my sponge still wet?
The pudding probably needs a little longer in the oven. Baking dishes also vary in depth, which can affect cooking time. Continue baking until the centre is risen and a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out without wet batter.
Why is my sponge dry?
It has probably been baked for too long. Start checking it towards the end of the stated cooking time and remove it once it's golden, springy and cooked through.
Why aren't my apples soft?
Bramley apples should soften readily, but make sure you cook them until very soft before assembling the pudding. The sponge will be ready before firm chunks of apple have enough time to break down properly in the oven.
Eve's pudding FAQs
Eve's pudding is a traditional British apple sponge pudding made with cooked apples topped with a simple sponge cake mixture and baked until risen and golden. It's also sometimes referred to simply as apple sponge pudding. The name is generally thought to reference Eve and the apple in the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Older versions of the pudding were quite different, but today Eve's pudding usually means the familiar combination of cooked apples and sponge. Unlike an apple crumble, which has a crumbly flour, butter and sugar topping, Eve's pudding is topped with a soft sponge cake mixture.
I haven't tested this recipe with eating apples, so Bramleys are the variety I recommend. They have the tart flavour and soft cooked texture that I've developed this recipe around. Eating apples are generally sweeter and tend to retain their shape more readily, so they wouldn't produce exactly the same result.
In this recipe, yes. Pre-cooking the Bramley apples ensures they're very soft before the sponge goes into the oven and gives the pudding its smooth apple layer.
I haven't tested a vegan version of this recipe, so I can't confidently recommend exact egg and butter substitutions.
More easy Bramley apple recipes
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Recipe
Easy Eve's Pudding Recipe (Apple Sponge)
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Ingredients
For the sponge
- 125 g Butter softened
- 125 g Golden Caster Sugar (Superfine sugar)
- 2 Eggs large
- 125 g Self-Raising Flour (Self-rising flour)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For the stewed apples
- 750 g Bramley Apples (cooking apples) peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoon Water
- 3 tablespoon Caster Sugar (Superfine sugar)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C(160 °fan/ Gas 4/ 350°F) and lightly grease a 1.5-2 litre baking dish.
- Make the sponge by creaming together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy using a wooden spoon.125 g Butter, 125 g Golden Caster Sugar (Superfine sugar)
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.2 Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Fold in the flour until all of the ingredients are combined. Set aside whilst you stew the apples.125 g Self-Raising Flour (Self-rising flour)
- Place the chopped apples, lemon juice and water in a large saucepan and cook on a medium heat for 7-8 minutes until the apples turn soft and mushy.750 g Bramley Apples (cooking apples), 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice, 2 tablespoon Water
- Stir in the caster sugar and cinnamon, cook for 2 more minutes, then spoon the apples into the prepared baking dish.3 tablespoon Caster Sugar (Superfine sugar), 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- Top the apples with the vanilla sponge and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the sponge is golden brown.
Notes
- Apples: Bramley cooking apples work best. Their tart flavour balances the sweet sponge and they break down beautifully when cooked.
- Apple texture: Cook the apples until very soft and almost completely broken down. This smooth, jammy texture is intentional.
- Apple filling: If the apples release lots of liquid, cook them for a little longer so the filling isn't watery.
- Baking dish: Use a 1.5-2 litre ovenproof dish. A deeper or shallower dish may alter the cooking time.
- Doneness: The sponge should be well risen, golden and springy. Insert a skewer into the sponge layer only; it should come out without wet batter.
- Make ahead: The apple filling can be prepared in advance and refrigerated. Make the sponge batter shortly before assembling and baking.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat until piping hot.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
donna says
Hi. Can I double this and bake it in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan? What would be the correct bake time? Thanks
Beth Sachs says
Hi Donna. Yes you can double the recipe. It should bake in the same amount of time.
Deb says
Hi , I doubled the quantities but had to bake for 60 mins in a 13x9x2 dish !
It was absolutely delicious! , As suggested I added some ground almonds to the flour and flaked almonds on top of the sponge mixture !
Thanks, will definitely make again .
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
Oh, this looks absolutely luscious! That sponge on top is so light and fluffy - thanks for the reminder to start with everything at room temperature.
Tavo says
loved this apple pudding! Super easy to make and yummy!
Carrie says
This was the perfect fall treat! My husband loved it too.
Liza says
What a special recipe! I love the combination of the soft sponge with the apple filling. Perfect for autumn!!
Jacqueline says
That looks gorgeous Beth. I do love a fruity pudding and yes pour on that custard.