Pomegranate and Apple Sponge

Prep Time: 0:20

Cook Time: 0:30

Serves: 4

Ingredients / Shopping List

1 pomegranate

250g or 2 big Bramley baking apples

1 tablespoon cornflour

100g soft brown sugar

1 egg

75g SR flour

50g syrup

60g margarine

1 tablespoon hot water

Prep to Cook: Deep sided ovenproof dish, chopping board, veg knife, peeler, mixing bowl, sieve, hand mixer or food processor, spatula

Prep: 1. Prep the fruit:

Peel, core and quarter the baking apples.

Slice into wedges, each quarter to about 5 pieces

Cut the pomegranate in half end then into quarters

Bend back the quarter and flick off the pomegranate pieces

In a mixing bowl combine the apple slices and the pomegranate

Add the brown sugar and sift over the tablespoon of cornflour

Mix well and tip into an ovenproof cooking dish

Level off the fruit pieces to prevent them poking through the sponge.

2. Prep the cake topping:

Weigh the flour then make a hollow in the flour

Add and weigh the syrup into the hollow

In the previously used mixing bowl place the eggs and margarine

Tip on the flour and syrup

Add a tablespoon of hot water and using a hand held mixer

Mix for 30 seconds 15 on lower speed, 15 on high (or use a food processor)

3. Prep the pudding:

Spoon the cake mixture over the fruit and level out

Cook in the middle of the oven 190ºC or Gas 5

Cook until risen and golden, about 25 - 30 minutes

Serve with crème fraiche or greek yoghurt

Check it out!

Pomegranate has a very acidic effect on the other ingredients and can slow down the cooking so check the sponge in the centre to make sure it is cooked properly. It will be bouncy and springy if it is cooked through.

It is good to include a range of fruits in the diet for their vitamin C and dietary fibre.

Recipe Science

Cooks Know How: This recipe will improve your peeling and slicing skills and enable you to enjoy making a fruit fusion to go under the sponge. You will see how the cornflour thickens up the fruit juices as they cook to make a sauce for the pudding. Cornflour is a maize starch that gelatinises when the liquid gets near boiling. It makes a glossy sauce.

The cake topping has syrup instead of sugar and is made by the all-in-one process. You will see how the easy mix sponge topping could easily be spread over different combinations of fruits. During cooking the cake crust browns as the sugar caramelises, the flour proteins set when the temperature is hot enough as do the egg proteins, holding the risen shape of the pudding.