I first came upon this recipe for Bird’s Nest Pudding in the Little House on the Prairie series and then later in the Little House on the Prairie Cookbook.  It intrigued me from the very beginning. It is described in the book, Farmer Boy in the following passage:

“Almanzo poured the heavy cream over the apples nested in the fluffy crust. The syrupy brown juice curled up around the edges of the cream…”

It is just as delicious as it sounds with a fluffy and light, just sweet enough crust with rich brown sugar filled apples nestled in it.  Topped with sweet cream, it is over the top scrumptious. I’ve adapted the recipe for more modern kitchens and tastes. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as ours!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 apples, peeled, cored and halved
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• Butter to grease the baking dish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*f. Butter a 10” cast iron skillet or equivalent baking dish. 
2. Place cut and peeled apples in the prepared dish core side up. Place a heaping teaspoon of the brown sugar on each apple, press down lightly. Place the dish in the oven to start baking while the oven preheats.
3. Separate the 3 eggs, putting the whites in a small mixing bowl and the yolks in a medium bowl. To the yolks add the milk, flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking powder and any remaining brown sugar. Blend well.
4. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks then gently fold into the batter until just barely streaky.
5. Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the batter over top of the apples. Return to the oven and bake approximately 30-45 minutes more or until the apples are fork tender and the crust is browned.
6. While the pudding is baking mix together the maple syrup, cream, and nutmeg to make the sweet cream by simply stirring them together well. 
7. When pudding is done, remove from the oven and serve warm with sweet cream to top it with. Enjoy!

FOLLOW Ashley Titman on Instagram & bakery website to find plenty of inspiration for your next baking adventure!