For the Love of Cooking

Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE to bake almost as much as I LOVE to eat??? There are a few recipes that are standby favorites that I can whip up in a pinch to satisfy my most intense cravings and to help calm my frazzled nerves at the end of a long day.

I came across a Fruit Pudding Cake recipe a few years back and have fiddled with it to make it perfect for me. This is one of the easiest cake recipes I make and calls for ingredients that I always have in my house, so I can make it in a pinch with little to no thought to what I am doing! If you do not know what a “Pudding Cake” is, then let me fill you in…you put all the ingredients in a casserole dish, pour hot water and sugar over the top, pop it in the oven. I mere 45 minutes later you have a layer of cake with a layer of fruit sauce on the bottom that is just shouting to be paired with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipping cream!

You can use any combination of fruit you like; all you need to do is fiddle with the sugar (use brown sugar for apple, white sugar for berry) and spices (add cinnamon to apple, omit for berry). I have made a ton of these, but my all time favorites are apple cinnamon rhubarb, rhubarb, apple cinnamon and mixed berry (found in the frozen section at Costco – has blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and maybe another berry…).


Fruit Pudding Cake

3 cups fruit, sliced if needed
¼ cup sugar (or to taste – berries need no sugar, apples need aprox ¼ cup, rhubarb may need more depending on your sweetness preference)
Cinnamon sprinkle (optional - to taste)

¼ cup margarine
½ cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

¾ cup brown sugar (use white sugar if using berries)
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cup boiling water

Place fruit and sugar in casserole dish, sprinkle with cinnamon (if using).

Mix together cake batter and spoon over fruit.

Mix sugar and flour together in a bowl. Stir in margarine, vanilla and water. Pour over batter. DO NOT STIR!!

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven for 45 minutes or until fruit is baked and pudding is firm to the touch. Let cool for 10 – 15 minutes then serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

***Remember, all calorie intake needs equivalent calorie output so not to land on your hips…I want no blame for busting beltlines!!


Christine