Malva Pudding
(South African apricot-flavored baked pudding)
Image by Jon Mountjoy
South African Cape cuisine brings us malva pudding, a mouthwatering piece of homecooking — part cake, part pudding — that shows up at many a family gathering. This apricot-flavored dessert gets its name from the fact that it was at one time commonly served with Malvasia, a sweet dessert wine. These days it's more often nestled up against a scoop of ice cream.
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Pudding
- Sugar -- 1/2 cup
- Egg, beaten -- 1
- All-purpose flour -- 1 cup
- Baking soda -- 1 teaspoon
- Salt -- pinch
- Milk -- 1/2 cup
- Melted butter -- 2 tablespoons
- Vinegar -- 1 tablespoon
- Apricot jam -- 1 tablespoon
Sauce
- Water -- 1/2 cup
- Unsalted butter -- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces)
- Sugar -- 1/2 cup
- Heavy cream -- 1 cup
- Vanilla -- 1 teaspoon
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and egg until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light and frothy.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir together the milk, melted butter, jam and vinegar until smooth.
- Beat one third of the flour mixture into the eggs and sugar until smooth. Then beat in half the milk mixture, followed by another one third of the flour, the remaining milk, and then the final third of the flour.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch cake pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, add the water, butter and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and vanilla.
- Serve malva pudding warm, cut into wedges with a little of the cream sauce poured over the top.
