Cape Malva Pudding

South African malva pudding with a soft apricot sponge soaked in warm cream sauce.

Jump to ingredients | Jump to method

The hot sauce is poured over the pudding immediately after baking so the sponge absorbs it instead of merely being coated on top.

Ingredients

• 180 g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 0.25 tsp fine salt
• 1 egg (large)
• 180 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 180 ml whole milk
• 30 g melted butter
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 200 ml double cream (for sauce)
• 80 g butter (for sauce)
• 100 g caster sugar (for sauce)
• 100 ml hot water (for sauce)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan and grease a 20 cm baking dish.
2. Whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl whisk the egg and sugar until lighter, then add the jam.
3. Stir in the milk, melted butter and vinegar, then fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Pour into the dish and bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean.
5. During the final 10 minutes, heat the cream, sauce butter, sauce sugar, hot water and vanilla until the butter and sugar dissolve.
6. As soon as the pudding leaves the oven, poke it all over with a skewer and slowly pour over the hot sauce in stages, allowing each addition to absorb.
7. Rest for 10 minutes and serve warm, ideally with custard or ice cream.