Rhubarb Eve’s Pudding

This is one of my favourite simple desserts – easy to make and always tasty. I only found out recently it had a proper name though – Eve’s pudding. Traditionally made with apples, this delicious dessert consists of lightly stewed fruit topped with a fluffy vanilla sponge mix baked in the oven. Rather unimaginatively, I’ve been calling it baked fruit sponge – that’s what it is after all 😊.

I make it all year round with whatever fruit is in season or filling up the freezer. Currently, my rhubarb is coming through very nicely and pairs beautifully with a bit of ginger. The delightful mix of tart rhubarb and sweet sponge makes it my favourite version, which is why I wanted to share this with you today.

Although Eve’s pudding itself may be traditional, my recipe is not – of course! It’s fully plant-based (eggs and dairy would usually be used) and the flour is either whole grain or gluten free as opposed to refined white flour. It also contains less sugar than most traditional recipes – rhubarb is so tart it needs a little something to make it more palatable. I’ve used coconut sugar, but you could go for molasses which will create a deep, richness. Maple syrup is an option too, although you’d need to reduce the amount of dairy-free milk otherwise the batter will be too wet. If you only have ‘normal’ caster sugar, don’t fret as the total amount used is much lower than standard recipes.

Rhubarb has a high water content which is readily released when cooked. It’s a good idea to stew the rhubarb for a couple of minutes to remove some of that water otherwise the bottom of the sponge lying on top of the fruit can go very wet and stodgy. Which isn’t unpleasant, but might not be the result you’re looking for. However, if you’re in a hurry, don’t worry. I never remember to do that and quite like the soggy part!

Famously, rhubarb is one of those plants that we treat as a fruit even though it’s classed as a vegetable. These pink tinged stalks are generally available in the shops from mid-March through to early July. It’s also really easy to grow at home; once established it comes back year after year as long as it’s not in a hot spot in the garden and gets enough water. If you do grow your own, don’t be tempted to try eating the leaves though. The contain really high levels of oxalic acid that will make you feel very sick. Discard them in to the compost heap or food waste bucket and use the stalks only.

Whilst you can eat rhubarb raw, it’s too sour and acidic for most peoples tastes so it’s best enjoyed lightly cooked in a compote, cake or crumble. Like this super tasty summer fruit crumble.

On the nutrition front, rhubarb contains a bunch of anthocyanins, those helpful phytonutrients with strong antioxidant properties. These pinky stalks also contain some vitamin A, C, folate, calcium and magnesium plus vitamin K which helps support clotting.

One more benefit is the fibre content. Rhubarb contains good amounts of insoluble fibre (which you can see when stalks become a bit tough and stringy) – good to support gut health and relieve constipation as well as for feeding the gut microbiome. It’s not just the fibre in rhubarb that can help with constipation. It also contains sennasides, natural compounds with a laxative effect (used in medications like Senakot) so rhubarb is doubly good if you need to poop!

This dessert is best served warm with lashings of custard (that’s my preference anyway!). You can use my custard recipe or grab a plant-based one at the supermarket – just check the ingredients to make sure there’s not too many extras you might want to avoid. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

I hope you enjoy this my rhubarb version of plant-based Eve’s pudding. Do let me know how you get on.

Rhubarb Eve's Pudding

A super tasty plant-based version of this traditional dessert using deliciously tart rhubarb

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6 portions

Course: Dessert

Calories: 277

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 6-8 medium sticks of rhubarb
• 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 170 grams wholewheat self raising flour or self raising gluten free flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• pinch salt
• 80 grams coconut sugar or sugar of choice
• 170 ml soya milk or dairy free milk of choice
• ½ medium lemon juice only
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 60 ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds to decorate

Method

 

1. Wash and trim the rhubarb. Cut into 2-3cm chunks. Pop in a pan and simmer for a few minutes to release some of the fluid. Turn off the heat. NB - you can skip this step if you don't mind a soggy base to your sponge.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180℃.
3. Pop the lightly stewed (or raw) rhubarb into a small oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with the smaller amount of coconut sugar.
4. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, salt and sugar. Stir well to combine.
5. In a jug, pour in the dairy free milk, lemon juice, vanilla essence and olive oil. Stir well to combine.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together swiftly. Pour the mix over the rhubarb and sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
7. Tap the dish on the worktop then pop into the oven.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden.
9. Eat whilst hot with dairy free custard or ice cream. Store leftovers in the fridge and rewarm before eating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portionCalories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 6gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 118mgPotassium: 336mgFiber: 5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 168IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Don't forget you can swap the fruit part for whatever is in season or your freezer. 

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