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South African

Malva pudding

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Malvapoeding

A soft, caramelised apricot-jam sponge baked and then soaked with a hot buttery cream sauce until sticky and spongy. South Africa's favourite warm pudding, served with custard or ice cream.

Malva pudding is a South African dessert, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with jam and heavy cream. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Malva pudding
Photo: Jon Mountjoy / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
489

Ingredients

8 servings

For the pudding

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C and butter (opens in a new tab) a 20 × 28 cm baking dish (opens in a new tab). Mix the flour, baking soda (opens in a new tab) and salt.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the sugar (opens in a new tab) and eggs (opens in a new tab) until pale and thick, then beat in the jam (opens in a new tab). Stir the melted butter (opens in a new tab) and vinegar into the milk (opens in a new tab).

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Fold the flour and milk (opens in a new tab) mixtures alternately into the egg (opens in a new tab) mixture to a smooth batter. Pour into the dish and bake until deep golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

  4. Step 4

    Near the end of baking, heat the cream, butter (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and water in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), stirring until melted and the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla (opens in a new tab).

  5. Step 5

    As soon as the pudding comes out, prick it all over and slowly pour the hot sauce over it. Leave 10 minutes to soak in, then serve warm.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    South Africa · Commonly attributedA Cape Dutch–style pudding widely regarded as a South African classic; its exact origins are not documented.More food from South Africa
    Dish
    Dessert · Desserts · Cakes
    Cooking method
    Oven-baked
    Taste
    sweet, buttery, rich, fruity
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Festive & celebration · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    Jam · Heavy cream · All-purpose flour · Baking soda · Sugar · Egg
    Techniques
    Baking

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, heavy cream
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    489 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 169 g · recipe makes 8

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 5%
    • Carbohydrate 47%
    • Fat 49%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy489 kcal290 kcal
    Protein5.6 g3.3 g
    Carbohydrate57.7 g34.2 g
    Net carbohydrate57.2 g33.9 g
    Sugars42.5 g25.2 g
    Added sugars——
    Fibre0.6 g0.3 g
    Fat26.9 g15.9 g
    Saturated fat16.6 g9.8 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol120 mg71 mg
    Sodium327 mg194 mg
    Salt equivalent0.8 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    119 mg
    Calcium
    73 mg
    Iron
    1.2 mg
    Magnesium
    12 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    274 µg
    Vitamin C
    1 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.2 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.3 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    64 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Bake it until really dark golden — the caramelised crust is part of the flavour.

    Common mistakes

    • Pouring the sauce on too fast; let it soak in gradually.

    Serve with

    • Serve warm with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days.

    Reheating

    • Warm portions in the microwave or a low oven.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    The body of the dish

    For the sauce

    Used in steps 2, 4

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

      Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

    2. Rest · about 10 min

      Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

    3. Bake · about 40 min at 180 °C

      Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

    4. Start to finish: about 1 h 5 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • Gummy or wet crumb

      Likely causes

      • Under-baked
      • Sliced while hot
      • Hydration too high for the flour

      What to do

      • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
      • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
      • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
    • Collapsed or sunken middle

      Likely causes

      • Oven door opened too early
      • Too much leavening or sugar
      • Under-baked centre
      • Over-proofed yeast dough

      What to do

      • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
      • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
      • Test the centre before removing
      • Proof less
    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Cracked or domed top

      Likely causes

      • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
      • Too much leavening
      • Overmixed batter

      What to do

      • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
      • Use the exact leavening amount
      • Fold just until combined
    • Big holes or tunnels

      Likely causes

      • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
      • Air trapped while shaping bread
      • Uneven proof

      What to do

      • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
      • Degas gently and shape tightly
      • Proof covered in an even, warm place
    • Dry or crumbly

      Likely causes

      • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
      • Over-baked
      • Too little fat or sugar

      What to do

      • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
      • Check 5 minutes early
      • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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