Apple and cranberry pudding with orange syrup

This is a classic autumn’s day dessert. Simply make a cake batter, fold in the fruit and steam under pressure. Alternate the fruit if you wish, trying fresh apricots or blood plums instead of the cranberries.

• makes

  2

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut flour or wholemeal spelt flour
• 1 cup unbleached spelt flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• sea salt
• ¾ cup apple juice
• 3 tbsp soy milk
• ½ cup rice syrup or maple syrup
• 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• ¼ tsp natural vanilla extract
• 2 apples, peeled cored and diced
• 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts

Glaze

• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp kuzu or arrowroot, dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water

Instructions

Combine the coconut flour, spelt flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and a pinch of sea salt in a large bowl and whisk to aerate.

In a separate bowl, combine the apple juice, soy milk, rice syrup, orange zest and vanilla and whisk to combine.

Fold into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the diced apples, cranberries and walnuts and mix well.

Lightly oil two 500 ml pudding tins and line with muslin cloth. Spoon the mixture evenly between each tin. Cover the top of each with a square of baking paper, then wrap a piece of foil tightly over the top, securing the "lids" with kitchen string.

Place the puddings in a large, deep saucepan and pour in enough hot water to come two-thirds up the side of the tins – you may need to do this in two batches. Bring the water to the boil, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over low heat for 90 minutes, making sure the water level is kept high and refilling with water as needed. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out onto plates.

To make the glaze, bring the orange juice and maple syrup to the boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the kuzu mixture to the pan and stir for 2 minutes, or until the syrup is thick and clear. Ladle the glaze over each pudding. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from Feel Good Food by Tony Chiodo. Published by Hardie Grant Books.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.