This recipe is a firm family favourite during winter. It is the ultimate comfort pudding served warm with a scoop of ice-cream and a generous drizzle of caramel after a hearty meal or served cold as cake for a celebration or afternoon tea.
Somehow this image ended up looking like a scene from a Halloween table, but don’t be scared off making it, trust me it is so quick and easy.
The coconut caramel sauce finishes it off with a delicious lush velvet texture. Keep a spoon handy for an extra few cheeky dunks.
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Ingredients
- 400ml coconut cream
- 50g coconut sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 300g Bramley apples – peeled, cored and diced in approx. 1cm chunks
- 125ml avocado or coconut oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. gelatin
- 200g ground almonds
- 100g walnuts
- 150g pitted dates
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 3 baby apples
- 3 wooden sticks or twigs
- 5 fresh bay leaves]
Instructions
- • Combine all ingredients except the vanilla extract in a medium saucepan.
- • Bring to the boil.
- • Allow it to boil for around 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously, then lower to a simmer.
- • Leave to simmer (occasionally stirring when needed) until it reduces to about half the volume and thickens. This usually takes around 50-60 minutes.
- • Turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let it cool for an hour.
- • Cover and refrigerate overnight – it will continue to thicken.
- • Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- • Prepare a 20cm baking tin.
- • Chop the walnuts into smaller pieces.
- • Combine the walnuts, gelatin, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- • Blend together the pitted dates, oil, eggs and apple cider vinegar.
- • Pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture and mix well by hand.
- • Stir through the chopped Bramley apples.
- • Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking tin.
- • Bake for 45min or until the centre feels firm when pressed.
- • Remove from the oven and either leave to cool entirely or serve warm.
Notes
This cake can be served either as a cake or a warm baked pudding with a scoop of ice-cream. To decorate (which is entirely optional) make a hole in the top of the baby apples, insert a wooden stick or twig and in the same hole add some bay leaves. Pour the thickened caramel over the apples and cake to serve.
