Steamed Apple Pudding

The dicing of the apple into small pieces is, frankly, quite tedious but in the end it was all worth it. The steaming method guaranteed a moist and luscious cake. Plus the tangy sour-sweet apple topping is so lovely marrying well with the treacly fragrance of the golden syrup in the cake. I have to restrain myself from catching a whiff of it whenever I pass by the table. But if you think that combination is good wait 'til you eat it with some warm custard - it is simply delicious! One of those comfort food you'll love to have on a chilly day.

This is my entry to the food blogging event Eating with the Seasons (ably hosted by Maninas) which I think is a great idea. Cooking and eating whatever is in season is simply common sense since you get the produce at the peak of its flavour and availability which in turn would mean cheaper prices for it that would certainly help us in this time of crumbling financial systems and sky-high consumer prices.

It's October now and getting chilly by the day. The one thing we most welcome in autumn is the glut of apples in season you have in the groceries and supermarkets. You get top flavours with more varieties you can shake a stick at and prices are cheaper than at any other time of the year. This is also the time of the year that the family's resident apple monster (eldest son) is often requesting for anything with apple which I'm more than happy to oblige.

Some cooking notes: I thought the amount of apple is too much but after about 2 hours of steaming it sort of deflated and in the end it was just right. My improvised steamer (basically a wok) ran out of water about 2 times but it did not seem to have any noticeable damage. The recipe from Olive magazine is the one I adapted for this keeper of a recipe.

Steamed Apple Pudding

4 baking apples - diced (about 4 cups)
100 g  butter
6 Tbsp golden syrup
100 g  golden caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
2 eggs - beaten
125 g  self-raising flour
1/4 cup milk
custard to serve

1. Grease with butter and lightly flour a 1.2 litre heatproof pudding bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat a frying pan on medium heat and melt 4 Tbsp of the golden syrup and 25 gm of the butter. Let it bubble for about 1 minute.
3. Tip in the diced apple, stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a clean bowl, beat the remaining butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the eggs for a couple of minutes.
6. Add in the milk, flour, and golden syrup. Mix well.
7. Put the apple mixture in the prepared pudding bowl.
8. Pour the flour mixture over it.
9. Cover with a double piece of greaseproof paper or foil with a pleat in the middle. Tie a string or rubber band around the top part of the bowl to secure the paper.
10. Cook in a steamer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
11. Turn out on a plate and serve with warm custard.