Hailing from South Africa, Malva pudding is flavored with brown sugar, apricot jam, and apple cider vinegar for the ultimate combination of sweet, tangy, and fruity flavors.
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What Is Malva Pudding?
Malva pudding is a traditional South African dessert consisting of a rich sponge cake soaked in a velvety caramel sauce. (The word pudding traditionally referred to steamed cakes.) Also known as Malvapoeding, this succulent baked dish, which gets its name from the Afrikaans word for marshmallow, is traditionally topped with whipped cream or ice cream to create the perfect pairing of warm caramel-soaked pudding cake with a cool, creamy finish.
3 Tips for Making Malva Pudding
Whether you’re familiar with this South African Malva pudding, or are trying it for the first time, try these simple tips.
- 1. Add the sauce while the cake is hot. To ensure the creamy caramel sauce fully penetrates the Malva pudding, make sure to pierce the cake and add the sauce while the pudding is piping hot.
- 2. Make individual-sized portions. To divide this pudding into party-friendly individual portions, simply split this recipe between eight ramekins. Bake the smaller puddings until they’re dark golden brown and cooked through, about twenty to thirty minutes.
- 3. Play around with additions. Once you’ve mastered the basic Malva pudding recipe, feel free to experiment with additional ingredients and garnishes. Try folding dried and or poached fruits like raisins or poached pears or peaches into the batter for a fruitier cake. Or, add crushed nuts, like pecans and walnuts, to the pudding for some textural contrast. For an added layer of creaminess, top the pudding with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream before serving.
How to Store Malva Pudding
Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, this moist pudding will keep well in the refrigerator for up to five days. To reheat the pudding prior to serving, pop the cake in the microwave or into a 300 degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through, about ten to fifteen minutes.
Malva Pudding Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
45 mincook time
30 minIngredients
For the pudding:
For the sauce:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the milk, eggs, apricot jam, apple cider vinegar, butter, brown sugar, and orange zest until combined.
- 4
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until the flour mixture is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- 5
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish.
- 6
Bake the pudding until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- 7
While the malva pudding is baking, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
- 8
Stirring continuously, cook the sauce until the sugar is fully dissolved, the butter is melted, and the sauce has begun to thicken, about 3 minutes.
- 9
When the pudding is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and use a skewer to poke about 10 holes in the top of the pudding.
- 10
Pour the warm cream sauce over the pudding, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
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