By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

I LOVE autumn. I love the colours and smells of crisp leaves underfoot, I love apples at this time of year, and I love comforting puddings like Eve's pudding.

Most people will have forgotten about Eve's pudding, so here's a little reminder of what you've been missing out on!

The name of course comes from the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, when Eve tempted Adam with the apple.

Eve's pudding is sometimes called Mother Eve's pudding, and basically it's a layer of stewed apples covered with a Victoria sponge.

It is an easy dessert to make, and oh so delicious – the ultimate pudding as the nights draw in and the weather gets chillier.

Some recipes can be fussy and more over-complicated than others. In my opinion, Eve's pudding really is a recipe to keep as simple as possible.

I recommend that you make the sponge mixture first and then prepare the apples, so that they have less time out of the oven, when they could start to go brown.

We have an abundance of wonderful apples of all varieties at this time of year. My choice is the good old trusted big green Bramley apple, but any dessert or cooking apple will do, with this being a great way to use up apples from the fruit bowl too.

Some recipes call for the apples to be stewed to a pulp, but personally I like my apples to have a bite and crunch to them. I would put the apples in raw and cook them with the sponge on top. You could also add a little mixed spice or a handful of sultanas to the apples, which will make the pudding absolutely delicious.

My primary school used to serve up Eve's pudding on rare occasions. The dinner ladies certainly didn't skimp on the lumpy lukewarm custard. Custard is almost a requirement to top off this wonderful winter-warmer pudding, which can be eaten hot or sliced up when cold, then bask in glory with a nice cup of tea.

We all love comfort food, and having a serving of Eve's pudding is like a hug in a bowl.

RECIPE

EVE’S PUDDING

Serves 4-6 portions

Cake mixture ingredients:

125g/4oz unsalted butter, softened

125g/4oz caster sugar

125g/4oz self-raising flour, sieved

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

A little milk might be needed

Filling:

500g/1lb cooking or dessert apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly

50g/2oz caster sugar or more to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs slowly, then gently fold in the flour thoroughly; a little milk might be needed if the mixture is stiff. Then set aside.

4. Place the apples in a 20cm/8’’ ovenproof dish or similar container, sugaring each layer as you build them up. Spoon the sponge mixture over the apples and spread out evenly.

5. Bake for around 45 minutes or until the sponge is set and golden brown in colour.

6. Sprinkle over a little caster sugar and serve hot from the oven, with lashings of good custard.