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–+ servings
A slice of Malva Pudding topped with a scoop of ice cream.
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5 from 3 votes

South African Malva Pudding Recipe

This South African Malva Pudding Recipe is a decadent South African dessert. It is sweet, milky, buttery, moist, and the perfect treat for when you want to indulge. My husband who doesn't love desserts LOVES Malva Pudding!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: African, South African
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Precious

Ingredients

The Pudding

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup apricot jam or apricot preserves
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Butter Sauce

  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter an 8 by 11 inch oven-safe pan.
  • Sieve the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.
  • In another bowl, combine the egg, sugar, butter and apricot jam/preserves. Beat together until pale in color.
  • Add the flour to the bowl and beat in.
  • In a bowl, mix the milk and vinegar together then add the vanilla extract.
  • Add the milk to the egg mixture and mix well to combine. Pour batter into prepared pan. Let it bake for about 30 minutes until brown at the top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • While the pudding bakes, make the sauce. Combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer on medium heat while stirring continuously until the butter and sugar completely melt.
  • As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, pour the warm sauce over it. Let it stand for about 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
  • Serve the Malva Pudding warm with whipped cream or ice cream if you like. But it is really great as it is!

Notes

1. Malva pudding is best served warm.
2. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of the sugar in the cake but I used half a cup of sugar instead. I find that half a cup of sugar together with the sweet apricot jam yields a sufficiently sweet Malva Pudding.
3. Be sure to pour your warm sauce over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
4. This recipe is adapted from the book, The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa by Marcus Samuelson.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 779IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 1mg