Blackberry and apple sponge puddings

We seem to be having an excellent bramble season here in Skipton and it is officially our favourite fruit. Our boys are splendid blackberry pickers and we had a very successful picking trip to Bog Lane on Monday. It doesn't sound like a great location but the blackberries are very fine and we got there by cycling along Brackenley Lane which sounds much nicer. After two jars of blackberry jam and a handful of blackberry and apple crumbles in the last couple of weeks, Hamish, Lachie and I decided to get a bit creative yesterday. I told the boys our blackberry and apple puddings would be 'an experiment' and Lachie said 'You like lady on CBeebies!', by which I think he means I am like Nina and the Neurons! I am quite flattered! Doesn't she drive some sort of milk float?

We based our puddings of course on our favourite chocolate cake recipe, but without the chocolate...

Blackberry and Apple Sponge Puddings (dairy and egg free)

Blackberry and apple sauce

1 punnet wild blackberries

1 large bramley apple

sugar to taste

Sponge cake

5oz self raising flour

3oz caster sugar

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 1/2oz dairy free margarine

1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup

1/4 pint soya milk

I use 4 individual pudding tins

To make the blackberry and apple topping, put the washed blackberries in a pan with the peeled, cored and chopped apple and a little sugar, cover and cook on a low heat until the apple has softened. Taste the stew and stir in more sugar to taste. Divide the mixture between the pudding tins so that there is about an inch of blackberry and apple sauce in the bottom of each tin.

To make the sponge mix, stir together the flour, sugar and bicarbonate of soda. Rub in the margarine. Stir in the syrup and milk. Spoon this lumpy mixture into the pudding tins on top of the blackberry and apple, until the tins are almost full. (We had some mixture left over to make some fairy cakes). Bake the puddings in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.

We let our puddings cool for about 20 minutes before we ran a knife round the edge and tipped them out, scooping out all the sauce onto the top.

I can officially declare that our puddings are no longer experimental - they are fantastic! I am very proud of them. The boys absolutely loved them and Hamish was asking for them again today after tea!