Malva Pudding: A sweet warm hug in a plate

Winter has arrived again, with temperatures once again in the single digits, it’s time for warm, comforting things to be made.

Many South Africans, when asked to choose a favourite dessert from home, will say Malva Pudding. Everyone has their favourite, some prefer it boozy, others never had a boozy version. I am one of the latter group, and my recipe is alcohol-free.

You can make it in 1 big baking dish, or make smaller versions in a muffin pan. Some eat there’s with custard, others with ice cream, and there are those who just want extra butterscotch sauce. All of those have a valid place on your table.

However you choose to serve yours, you will love how cream, butter, flour, and sugar come together in this recipe to make the ultimate warming treat that no one can say no to.

Malva Pudding

A warm, rich and decadent dessert

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Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: South African

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Pudding

• 210 g sugar
• 30 g butter melted
• 2 egg
• 40 g apricot jam
• 264 g flour cake or the closest you get where you are, 405 in Germany
• 5 ml salt
• 10 ml bicarbonate of soda natron
• 500 ml milk

Butterscotch sauce

• 60 g butter
• 50 g Sugar
• 125 ml boiling water
• 127 g cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Equipment

• 1 saucepan
• 1 Oven safe baking dish or
• 1 Lined muffin pan
• 1 Mixing bowl
• 1 Hand mixer or stand mixed Optional, can be done by hand

Method

 

For the pudding

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C if fan assisted)
2. In a stand mixer or bowl, beat the sugar, butter, and egg until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the apricot jam and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and gradually add it to the wet ingredients.
5. Mix the bicarb into the milk and add it to the main bowl, mixing slowly just until incorporated.
6. Pour into a baking dish and cover.
7. Bake for 40 minutes covered and then uncover and bake until the top is a rich brown colour.
8. When browned, pull out of the oven and poke a few extra holes all around with a skewer.
9. Pour the sauce as soon as possible.

The sauce

1. In a decent size pot, add all the ingredients.
2. Bring to the boil and then (and this is where I do things a liiitle differently) allow simmering until slightly thickened.
3. As soon as the pudding is out of the oven and poked, pour a few ladle fulls on top and wait a minute or 2.
4. When everything is soaked up, repeat until your sauce is all soaked up.
5. Don’t worry if some sauce stays on top, it will get all thick and delicious as it cools.
6. Serve warm with your choice of side.