This delicious Caramel Apple Pudding Cake, has all the flavours of caramel apples, in easy cake form!
I imagine I'm not the only one who has nostalgic memories of pudding cakes past. Many of my memories involved a box mix and some boiling water. I can assure you though, this made-from-scratch version is only a bit more work and so much more delicious!
Pudding cakes are perfect comfort food and hard to beat for a sweet and warm evening treat, especially now that the evenings are getting cooler. Pudding cakes are magical things. They start out with a quick cake batter on the bottom, then what seems like a too-watery liquid is poured over the top. As they bake, the cake cooks and rises to the top and the bottom becomes a thick, sweet sauce.
Despite what may seem like a lot of brown sugar in this one, it's not overly sweet or rich. And there's only 3 Tbsp. of butter in there, too, which is always good. A little less guilt :)
You can make this pudding cake in either one 8-cup baking dish, or divide the batter, apples and sauce between smaller, individual baking dishes or ramekins. I got 4 portions out of the baking cups used here. In smaller ramekins, you'd easily get 6 portions.
In hindsight, I probably could have used a few more apple slices on the top. I was trying to be a little artistic, knowing that I'd be taking pictures. That was only moderately successful, as once I poured the sauce on top, some of the apples were inclined to float away from their assigned position. Assuming you're not worrying about any of that, don't be afraid to put a nice layer on there. Do be sure to cut them fairly thin, so they'll soften nicely in the oven.
Caramel Apple Self-Saucing Pudding Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup apples, thinly sliced
Sauce:
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 Tbsp butter, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Generous pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Make the pudding batter: In a medium bowl, mix together the the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, mix together the milk, melted butter and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine well. Spread batter in to the bottom of an 8-cup baking dish or divide between 4-6 individual baking dishes. (*If using individual dishes, you may want to place dishes on a baking sheet, for easy transport to the oven, and to catch any splatters.) Arrange a layer of apple slices on top of batter.
- Prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl or a 4 cup measuring cup, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Add the boiling water, the butter,vanilla and salt. Stir to combine and until butter melts. Gently pour over batter, being sure to leave 3/4-1 inch of room at the top of the baking dish.
- Bake in pre-heated 350° oven for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick in centre comes out clean when inserted in the top cake part. Pudding will have formed a cake-like top with lots of sauce underneath. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy warm. Lovely as is, or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!
jkb says
I cut the recipe in half to try it out and baked it in two individual portions. I also used less sugar than called for…and it was still delicious. This is definitely a keeper.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear :) Thanks so much!
Sam says
This looks great! Can I make it ahead for a dinner party and reheat just before?
Jennifer says
Hi Sam, I think you could. I suspect the cake part might soak up some of the pudding part, but that said, it will still be delicious :)
Elizabeth says
Reminds me of the apple pudding my Mom used to make. Total comfort food. Thanks for such a quick, flavourful recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth :) Thanks so much!
Alisha says
Very soft, gooey and delicious. I added ¾ cup applesauce rather than sliced apples to cater to a no-chew diet. Worked well!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Alisha! Thanks :)
Katherine Armstrong says
I LOVED this! I had a major craving for a pudding cake, I couldn't find my regular recipe so I had to google one. I could care less about my old one, it did not taste the same. The only thing I will do differently next time though is chop up little pieces of apple and mix it with the batter, and will probably try this with other types of fruit.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Katherine! Thanks :)