It is absolutely indisputable that apples are healthy, right? The whole “apple a day” thing is not a myth. So with that as a basic premise, one could argue that ANYTHING with apples in it is healthy, right? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…….
There are a lot of green salads and green juices and lots of cold, healthy green stuff circulating around the food blogs in the last few days. New Years as a fresh start and all that. All of them look delicious. But it is winter and it is cold and I want to stay in bed with the covers over my head and drown in a warm, soft, sweet, old fashioned caramely apple pudding. Not to mention the fact that with a sprinkling of sugar over the top before it goes in the oven, the top gets all crunchy good and is a great contrast to the texture of the softer pudding cake.
Now I admit, I want to be really good. Really compliant with a health and fitness regime. As you know from this blog, I segued right into MEtirement by upping my gym time and turning over a new leaf. And yes, I have definitely done that. I am sticking to my MEtirement schedule and spending lots of time walking, doing total body workouts with weights and going to yoga/Pilates.
But really. What makes your psyche really embrace life? Gasping for air, aching from lifting weights, trying to stretch your tight muscles, or eating a warm bowl of appley pudding with sticky, gooey, warm caramel sauce? Your choice.
However, I proud to say that I am also eating a lot of salmon and salads and all good things. But, as I said, I am cold. Really cold. And the more beautiful pictures of salads that I see, the more I want a warm dessert to go with them so I can stop shivering!
So here is my nice, warm, soothing, comforting, old fashioned apple pudding (a spin on what some people refer to as Ozark Pudding) with a nice warm caramel sauce. It you really want to go nuts, add a bit of bourbon to the sauce at the end. Think of this pudding cake as a big, sweet blanket of goodness for yourself!! And don’t stop eating the beautiful tasty salads! It’s just that warm and gooey is good too. Really good! Stay warm and stay healthy.
Old Fashioned Apple Pudding Cake with Caramel Sauce
This is not really a pudding nor is it a cake but its texture is really a combination of both. With the delicious caramel sauce this makes an incredibly comforting dessert. Or, you can just get a spoon and eat it for breakfast on a cold snowy morning. Just don't tell anyone!
Ingredients
For the Apple Pudding Cake
- 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the pan
- 3 apples I used a combination of Jazz and Granny Smith
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- zest of two lemons
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon to add at the end
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon bourbon optional but really really nice
Instructions
Apple Pudding Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9 x 14 " glass baking pan.
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Peel and grate one of the apples.
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Peel and chop the other two apples.
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In a large bowl, with a mixer, beat the eggs, and sugar until light and frothy. Add the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in the apples.
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In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.
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Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, stirring well to incorporate the dry ingredients.
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Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining sugar. Bake until the top crust is brown about 45 minutes.
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Serve with warm caramel sauce.
Caramel Sauce
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In a medium, heavy saucepan (to allow for a lot of bubbling), combine all of the ingredients over medium heat.
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Let the mixture come to a boil, stirring constantly.
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Keep stirring for six to seven minutes until the sauce thickens.
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Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of cream (and the bourbon if you are using it) and serve the sauce warm.
This looks particularly good! My family makes an apple crumble I love – I’m going to have to try this one!
Many thanks to my blog expert!