Malva pudding is a classic South African dessert; spongy in texture, sticky, and irresistible. These easy mini cakes are made with apricot jam that gives them a delicious caramelized texture, and the sweet, buttery cream sauce makes them deliciously gooey.
Ingredients
Pudding Cakes
- 200 g sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 80 ml milk
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
Cream Sauce
- 113 g stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
- 65 g sugar
- 60 ml hot water
- 180 ml heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Pudding Cakes
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 6-cup muffin pan or a 7-inch round or square baking dish.
With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
Add in the jam and mix through.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix alternating with milk. Stir in the vinegar. Combine everything together.
Pour into the prepared muffin pan and bake until the cakes turn golden brown on the edges about 30-45 minutes (about 60 minutes if you're not using a muffin pan).
Cream Sauce
In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and heat over medium heat until butter is melted and everything is well combined.
Assemble
Take out the cakes from the oven and poke holes with a toothpick all over them. Pour the sauce over the hot baked pudding cakes.
Let the cakes stand for about 20-30 minutes for the sauce to completely soak in.
Tips
To avoid lumps of apricot jam and ensure even spreading in the pudding, warm the jam with a splash of water (about ½ teaspoon) until it liquefies. You can also use apricot preserves.
You want to make sure you pour the sauce over your pudding while it's still hot so that all those delicious flavours can sink in.
It is best to serve the pudding when the sauce is fully absorbed; let the cakes rest for 10-15 minutes.
The butter sauce will separate a bit when simmering, but don't worry! Just scoop out any milk solids before pouring it over your cake. You'll have an even cleaner look with no pesky bits sticking up all over the place.
If you choose to bake the pudding in one pan instead in a muffin tin or ramekins, you will need to bake it longer, about 30-40 minutes.