Old-Fashioned Maple Apple Pudding Cake Is the Best of Cake and Cobbler in One Bite

📝 Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 5 Tbsp. salted butter, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups peeled chopped tart cooking apple (1 large)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 recipe Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional) (below)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan combine water, maple syrup, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium-high until boiling. Reduce to medium. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in 1 Tbsp. of the butter until melted. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate.
2. In a medium bowl stir together flour, the 2 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender cut in 3 Tbsp. of the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in apples. Add the milk and vanilla; stir just until batter is moistened. (Mixture will be very thick.)
3. Drop the apple batter by 2-Tbsp. portions into the warm syrup mixture in pie plate. Combine the remaining 2 tsp. sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over the batter in pie plate. Cut remaining 1 Tbsp. butter into small pieces. Top batter with butter pieces.
4. Bake until golden brown and bubbly and a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Serve warm topped with Sweetened Whipped Cream (if using).

💡 Notes & Tips