Malva pudding

Name: Malva pudding
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: South Africa
Ingredients: 200 g plain wheat flour; 200 g caster sugar; 2 eggs; 3 tbsp apricot jam; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 250 ml milk; 30 g melted butter; 250 ml single cream; 100 g brown sugar; 100 g butter, for the sauce

A South African apricot jam sponge raised with bicarbonate and vinegar, soaked in hot cream sauce the moment it leaves the oven.

Published on 30 April 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

#dessert#apricot#cream#baked#south africa

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 55 min
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar for 3 minutes, until pale and falling in ribbons.
Beat in the apricot jam, melted butter and vinegar.
Combine the flour with the bicarbonate, then add it alternately with the milk. Stop as soon as the batter comes together.
Pour into a buttered 24 cm dish and bake at 180C for 35 to 40 minutes.
While it bakes, bring the cream, brown sugar and sauce butter to a simmer, then take the pan off the heat.
Prick the hot cake all over with a skewer and pour the scalding sauce over. Let it soak in for 20 minutes before serving.

Vinegar and bicarbonate meet in the batter and release carbon dioxide, lifting the crumb without baking powder. The vinegar also acidifies the mix, which speeds browning and gives the cake its amber colour. Pour the sauce the moment the cake comes out, because a warm crumb drinks it in while a cold one leaves it pooled at the bottom.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 513 kcal
Protein: 6.4 g
Fat: 27.1 g
Carbohydrate: 62.8 g
Fibre: 0.7 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why is there vinegar in a cake batter?

It reacts with the bicarbonate of soda and releases carbon dioxide, which lightens the crumb without baking powder. It also acidifies the batter, speeding up browning and giving the pudding its amber colour. You cannot taste it in the finished cake.

Can I pour the sauce on later, once the cake has cooled?

No, this is the critical point of the recipe. A hot crumb draws the scalding sauce all the way through, whereas a cold one lets it sit at the bottom of the dish. Prick the cake all over with a skewer as it leaves the oven and pour at once.

What can replace the apricot jam?

Peach or even quince jam gives a close result: what apricot brings is a tart fruitiness plus invert sugar, which keeps the crumb moist. Avoid chunky preserves, which leave pockets, and very neutral jellies, which add sugar and nothing else.

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