Eve's Pudding

A traditional English pudding made from Bramley apples topped with a Victoria sponge cake mixture - light and tasty and so easy to make. This newspaper cutting was carefully stuck into my mother's cookery book. The name comes from the biblical Eve who tempted Adam with an apple from the tree.

750g Bramley apples

50g caster sugar

For the topping:

110g salted butter

110g caster sugar

110g self-raising flour

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 160ºC.

Butter a baking dish, about 20cm square, or you can use a pie dish as I did.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.

You can use an extra one or two if you want as they cook down to a thin layer beneath the sponge.

Cook the apples in a saucepan (with no liquid) until soft. Stir in the caster sugar and once dissolved, remove from the heat. Tip into the baking dish to cool.

Whisk the eggs and sieve the flour. Cream the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the whisked eggs to the mixture, putting a spoonful of flour in between each addition. Add the rest of the flour and mix everything together thoroughly.

Spoon the mixture on top of the apples and bake for 50-55 minutes. Dust with caster sugar and serve warm with custard or ice cream.

Gooseberry upside-down cake

A very easy, impressive and gorgeous upside-down cake - gooseberries and brown sugar sitting on top of a delicious sponge.

This newspaper cutting is from my grandmother's book.

The topping - 50g butter, 85g soft brown sugar, 200g gooseberries

The sponge - 170g self-raising flour, 110g caster sugar, 85g butter, 1 egg, 140ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Put a 20cm square ovenproof dish on the hob and melt the butter. I have used my mother's tarte tatin dish but you could also use a cast-iron frying pan or a small cake tin.

Stir in the sugar and allow to dissolve, then put in a layer of gooseberries and turn off the heat.

For the sponge, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, alternating with the beaten egg and milk. It should be a soft, dropping consistency.

Cover the gooseberries with the sponge mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once cooked, turn out of the tin by putting a plate on top and turning the whole thing upside down. Best eaten warm with ice cream.

Chocolate sponge cake

A simple and basic chocolate sponge recipe that makes one cake or if you want a layer cake, double the quantities. This is from my grandmother's book and I imagine she made this frequently as the pages in her book are a bit tattered.

2 large eggs, beaten

110g caster sugar

110g flour

85g butter, softened

50g cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Line the bottom of a 20cm sandwich tin with greaseproof paper.

Sieve the flour and cocoa into a bowl and add the baking powder.

Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the beaten eggs one at a time, alternating with some of the flour mixture. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the milk and mix well. If you need to loosen the mix further (as the cocoa can make it dry) add a little more milk.

Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Once the time is up, insert a skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean, it's done. Allow to cool and spread with your choice of icing.

My grandmother suggests a plain icing but I prefer buttercream. Or if you make a layer cake, fill it with whipped cream and serve with strawberries.

I've also tried this with a very indulgent chocolate ganache icing -

150g dark chocolate, 150ml double cream,

1 tsp vanilla extract and a knob of butter.

Simply put all the ingredients into a heavy saucepan and warm through slowly until the chocolate is melted. Take off the heat and whisk till smooth and thickened. Pour on top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides.