apple dappy

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adapted from here

A traditional Victorian Pudding from the British West Country.  Apple dappy consists of a beautiful rich scone type pastry all buttery and crisp on top, spread with lovely lemony meltingly tender sweet-tart bits of apples, rolled up and cut into slices and sprinkled with sugar. The slices are then placed into a buttered dish and the whole thing is placed into the oven and baked until it is all puffed up and golden brown...spooned into a bowl and served with dollops of clotted cream, this dessert is simplicity itself, using a food processor and basic ingredients.

1 pound tart eating apples such as Braeburn, peeled, cored and diced
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Pastry:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons clotted or heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
 sugar for sprinkling (I used cinnamon sugar, I could not help myself)
cream or clotted cream for serving

Put the apples in a saucepan with the lemon juice, sugar and butter and cook, uncovered over medium heat until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside [to cool].

Preheat the oven to 425*.  Line a small square or circular baking pan with parchment and lightly butter it.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt...pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter and sugar and pulse until  the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Leave the motor running and add the cream and half of the milk. The dough should be soft and sticky. If it is too stiff, add the remaining milk.


Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. You need to roll it out to a 8x12 inches rectangle, and it should be almost that, not more.


Spread the cooled apples over the dough and roll it up from a long end, as you would a jelly roll. Mark 7 equal pieces on the roll, then cut into slices using a sharp knife. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in the prepared baking pan, with one in the center and the others around it. (They should not actually touch as the dough will expand during baking.)

Sprinkle generously with sugar and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool slightly and serve warm with cream.

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bon appetit!