A sharp-sweet tumble of fruit beneath a light sponge, lifted by notes of citrus
Diana Henry The Telegraph's award-winning cookery writer
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
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It might seem odd to mix three fruits for this, but it’s an incredible combination. The apples give the fruit a bit more structure and the raspberries create wonderful juice, which mixes with the rhubarb and apple juice.
As it’s only a small amount, I used fresh raspberries for it. Some of them have an astonishing flavour of violets. Mix a couple of tablespoons of marmalade into whipped cream to serve on the side, if you want to echo the marmalade in the sponge.
Requires 20 minutes macerating time
Overview
Prep time
25 mins
Cook time
1 hr
Serves
8
Ingredients
- 400g rhubarb
- 2 Bramley apples, about 300g in total
- 200g raspberries
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 185g caster sugar
For the sponge
- 115g butter
- 115g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- finely grated zest of 2 oranges
- 100g sour cream
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 3 tbsp marmalade
- 150g plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- icing sugar, for dusting
- cream, to serve
Method
Step
Preheat the oven to 180C/170C fan/gas mark 4.
Step
Trim 400g rhubarb and cut it into 3cm lengths, then toss them into a 1.5-2 litre pudding dish.
Step
Peel 2 Bramley apples and slice the flesh on to the rhubarb, working right into the core. Discard the cores.
Step
Add 200g raspberries, 2 tbsp plain flour and 185g caster sugar, and toss them around together. Leave for about 20 minutes, tossing the fruit in the flour and sugar a couple of times. Put the fruit into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Step
Beat 115g butter and 115g caster sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then add 2 beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
Step
Beat in the finely grated zest of 2 oranges, 100g sour cream, 2 tbsp whole milk and 3 tbsp marmalade.
Step
Sift 150g plain flour and 1½ tsp baking powder into the mix and fold to combine.
Step
Spoon the batter on top of the fruit – don’t worry if it doesn’t completely cover it.
Step
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the sponge is golden brown and you can see that it is set when you insert a skewer – make sure you insert the skewer only into the sponge layer, not the fruit underneath. If there is no batter clinging to the skewer when you pull it out, the sponge is cooked.
Step
Leave to cool a little. It can be served warm or at room temperature. Dust with icing sugar before serving with cream.