Ma’s apple sponge

Ready in 45 minutes, serves 6.

Growing up, my mother made the best fruit sponges – I remember the excitement as the spoon pierced the golden crust to reveal the fruit at the bottom.

• 10-12 large apples (makes 4-6 cups of stewed fruit)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder, sifted
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Stew your apples, addinga small amount of sugar for flavour at the end of the cooking process. By adding it at the end, you always use less sugar.

2. Preheat oven to 180ºC.

3. While the fruit is cooking, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale, thick and foamy (approximately 2 minutes).

4. Add the sifted  our and baking powder. Fold the flour mixture gently into the egg mixture with fork.

5. Melt the butter in the milk and add to the mix. Finally, add the vanilla.

6. Pour the hot fruit into a 2L ovenproof dish, followed by the sponge mix. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Test with a skewer.

7. Lightly dust the sponge with icing sugar and serve with cream or custard.

Cook’s tip:
To ensure the best results, make sure your sponge mixture is placed on top of the hot fruit, so make your sponge while the fruit is simmering.