My grandmother’s fruit sponge puddings were famous in our family and they came in so many mouth-watering versions. We ate apple sponge, plum sponge, rhubarb sponge, black peach sponge, golden peach sponge, wild blackberry and apple sponge and last but not least “tree tomato” sponge. Tree tomatoes! What are tree tomatoes? They’re what the oldies in our family still call Tamarillo. Because… 

“Although Tamarillo are from South America, the name is not Spanish, but a New Zealand invention. The fruit was originally known as tree tomato, but to avoid confusion with the common tomato, and increase appeal to export customers, the New Zealand Tree Tomato Promotions Council decided to rename it. Council member W. Thompson came up with ‘Tamarillo’, claiming it sounded both Māori and Spanish. The new name was officially adopted on 1 February 1967” www.tamarillo.com

The cinnamon brown sugar topping is optional but does make for a rather lovely crunchy sponge crust and be sure to cool your fruit completely before covering it in the sponge mix. 

This pudding MUST be served steaming, straight from the oven with lashings of cream, ice cream and loving memory or our grandmothers and great grandmothers and great great great grandmothers who all served up their sponge puddings in cast iron. 

*** prepare the pudding earlier in the day and pop it in the oven as you sit down for your main course. The smell of it cooking will drive everyone CRAZY. Good crazy.  

THE FRUIT 

8 large green apples, peeled and  roughly sliced 
1 c boiling water
6 T golden syrup 
4 bay leaves 
12 Tamarillo, flesh only  

THE SPONGE PUDDING

180g butter, softened 
180g sugar 
4 eggs 
180g flour
1 t baking powder
1 T vanilla essence
Zest and juice 1 large lemon 

THE TOPPING***optional 

3 T brown sugar
1 T cinnamon 

METHOD

Heat oven to 150 °C fan forced.

In your Legacy Pan over a low heat, simmer apples, water, golden syrup and bay leaves for 15 minutes. Add scooped tamarillo flesh and leave everything to cool in the pan.  

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Add eggs all at once and whisk until just combined. 

Fold in the dry ingredients and finish by adding the vanilla essence, lemon juice and zest. 

Drop spoonfuls of the mix over the cooled fruit and spread out evenly on top. 

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the pudding.

Bake for 40 – 45 mins until skewer comes out clean. 

Serve now. Yum.