Easy Malva Pudding
This easy malva pudding recipe makes the kind of warm, saucy dessert that has people going back for seconds before they've finished firsts. It's a classic South African baked pudding with a sticky caramel sponge that soaks up a hot cream sauce, and it comes together with pantry ingredients and one bowl.
I grew up eating malva pudding at family gatherings and it's one of those recipes I never get tired of making. This version keeps things simple. No fuss, no fancy equipment, just a really good pud.
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What is malva pudding?
Malva pudding is a traditional South African baked dessert with a soft, spongy texture and sweet caramel flavour. The batter is made with apricot jam and vinegar, then drenched in a hot cream sauce straight from the oven so it soaks through completely. It's always served warm.
Why you'll love this easy malva pudding
The ingredients are dead simple too. Plain flour (all-purpose flour), brown sugar, apricot jam, milk, vinegar, and butter. You probably have most of it already
And it's brilliant for making ahead. Bake it in the morning, pour the sauce over, then reheat before dinner. It actually gets better as it sits because the sponge soaks up even more of that cream sauce. If you're feeding a crowd, this is the dessert you want because it scales up without any extra effort.
Ingredients
For the pudding batter
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Apricot jam
- Milk
- Vinegar
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- Salt
- Butter
For the cream sauce
You've got two options here.
Sherry version (my pick):
- Cream (heavy cream)
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Sherry
Alcohol-free version:
- Cream (heavy cream)
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Hot water
- Vanilla extract
The sherry version has this rich, almost boozy warmth that's hard to beat. But the vanilla version is properly good in its own right. Use whichever suits your crowd.
How to make easy malva pudding
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F.
Mix the batter
- Add egg and sugar: Add the egg and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Beat egg and sugar: Beat the egg and sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
- Add jam: Add the apricot jam in the batter.
- Mix: Mix in the apricot jam until smooth.
Mix the milk and vinegar (Let it curdle, then add butter)
- Combine milk and vinegar: In a separate bowl, mix the milk and vinegar and let it sit for 1 minute to slightly curdle.
- Combine the liquids: Melt the butter and add it to the milk and vinegar mixture and combine.
Bring the batter together
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix together the plain flour, baking soda and salt until evenly combined.
- Combine wet ingredients: Add the buttermilk mixture to the batter and mix through.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the batter.
- Mix: Fold gently until just combined and smooth, do not over mix.
Bake the malva pudding
- Prepare the dish: Grease a medium (20cmx20cm) baking dish.
- Bake: Pour into dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden and set.
Make the sauce
Make the sauce: While the pudding bakes, heat the sauce ingredients until smooth and just simmering.
Soak the malva pudding with cream sauce
- Poke: Remove the pudding from the oven, poke holes all over.
- Soak: Pour the hot sauce evenly over the pudding.
Tips for the perfect malva pudding
- If your pudding comes out dry, the most common reason is overbaking. Start checking at 30 minutes and pull it as soon as a skewer comes out with just moist crumbs.
- If the sauce pools at the bottom instead of absorbing, your holes weren't deep enough. Poke them right through to the base of the dish, not just the surface. More holes means more absorption.
- Don't skip the resting time after pouring the sauce. It's tempting to serve straight away but those 10 to 15 minutes make a real difference to how saucy the final result is.
- Make sure your sauce is hot when you pour it. A warm sauce absorbs faster and more evenly than one that's cooled down.
Ingredients notes
- The apricot jam is what gives malva pudding its signature flavour. That subtle fruitiness running through the sponge is the whole point. Smooth jam works best. If yours is chunky, give it a quick stir to break it down before adding it.
- Brown sugar is essential here. It gives the pudding that deep caramelly flavour and moist crumb. Don't swap it for white sugar or you'll lose that sticky, toffee-ish character.
- The vinegar and milk combination creates a quick buttermilk substitute. It sounds odd but it reacts with the baking soda to give the pudding its light, spongy texture. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar both work.
- For the cream sauce, full-fat cream gives the best result. You can use a lighter cream but the sauce will be thinner and won't coat the sponge as richly.
- If you're skipping the sherry, the hot water and vanilla version is the way to go. The vanilla rounds everything out so it doesn't taste like anything's missing.
How to serve malva pudding
Malva pudding is best served warm with something cool and creamy alongside it. Custard is the traditional South African way, poured generously over the top. Vanilla ice cream works brilliantly too, melting into all those sticky, saucy edges. Or just a spoonful of whipped cream if you want to keep it simple.
It makes a fantastic finish to a hearty meal. I love it after a South African recipe, like braised lamb shoulder or with our bunny chow recipe, where that contrast between a rich, savoury main and a warm, sweet pudding is hard to beat. It goes just as well after chicken with chutney and mayo for something more relaxed.
Malva pudding is your warm, cosy baked dessert, perfect when you want something rich and comforting. If you're after something lighter or more summery, my crustless milk tart or peppermint crisp tart recipe are great options. And if you still want a warm treat but a bit different, my pampoenkoekies are always a winner.
Make-ahead and storage
This is one of the best make-ahead desserts going. Bake the pudding and pour the sauce over it, then cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving. It honestly gets better with time because the sponge absorbs more of the sauce as it sits.
How to store leftovers
Cover the dish tightly and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. The texture holds up well. It'll be a bit firmer from the fridge but softens right back up when you reheat it.
How to freeze malva pudding
Malva pudding freezes really well. Cut it into portions, wrap each one tightly in cling film, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
How to reheat
Cover the dish with foil and reheat in the oven at 160°C / 320°F for about 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through. For individual portions, the microwave works fine. 30 to 60 seconds on medium heat. If it looks a bit dry after reheating, warm a splash of cream and pour it over the top.
Scaling this recipe
This recipe serves about 6 to 8 as a dessert. For a smaller batch (4 servings), halve everything and use a smaller baking dish. Reduce your bake time by about 5 to 10 minutes and keep an eye on it.
For a crowd, double the recipe and use a large roasting tin. You might need an extra 5 to 10 minutes in the oven. The sauce ratio stays the same: double the sauce for double the pudding.
Variations
Microwave malva pudding
Same batter, same sauce - just faster.
- Pour the batter into a greased microwave-safe dish and cook on medium-high in 2-minute intervals, checking for doneness after each one.
- You're looking for a set top with a slight spring when you press it. It won't go golden the way the oven version does, but it still soaks up the sauce beautifully.
- Pour the hot sauce over immediately, poke your holes the same way, and give it the same 10 to 15 minutes to absorb.
Good for a weeknight when you want pudding without the wait.
Individual portions
- Grease individual ramekins, divide the batter evenly between them. Don't overfill.
- Bake at the same temperature - 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F - but cut your bake time down to around 20 to 25 minutes. Check them with a skewer.
- Each ramekin gets its own pour of hot sauce straight from the oven.
This is the entertaining version. You can have them ready ahead of time, lined up in the fridge, and just reheat and sauce to order. No slicing, no serving mess. Everyone gets a perfect little pudding.
Condensed milk sauce
A lot of South African home cooks swap the cream for condensed milk and honestly, it slaps. The sauce comes out thicker and sweeter, with a more toffee-like quality.
- Use the same amount as you would cream, skip most of the added brown sugar since condensed milk is already very sweet, and keep the butter.
It's richer than the cream version and sets a bit firmer, which some people prefer. If you grew up eating malva pudding made this way, this is the one that'll taste like home.
FAQ
They're cousins but not the same thing. Malva pudding uses apricot jam in the batter, which gives it a distinctive fruity undertone. Sticky toffee pudding uses dates. The texture is similar, both spongy and soaked in a sweet sauce, but malva has that unmistakable South African character.
You can, but it won't taste quite the same. Apricot jam is what gives malva pudding its signature flavour. In a pinch, marmalade or peach jam works as a substitute, though the flavour profile will shift a bit.
It's best warm. The sponge is softer and the sauce is more fluid, so you get that properly saucy texture in every bite. Cold from the fridge it firms up and loses some of that magic. A quick reheat sorts it out.
The classic recipe is perfect as is, but malva pudding does take well to flavour twists. A splash of citrus in the batter or a bit of cocoa stirred through are popular ways to put your own spin on it while keeping that same sticky, saucy base.
If you give this easy malva pudding recipe a go, I'd love to hear how it turns out. Leave a comment or a rating below.
Related
Looking for more dessert recipes like this Malva pudding? Try these:
- Honey roasted macadamia nuts
Easy Malva Pudding
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
Pudding
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
Sauce (Sherry version - recommended)
- 125 ml cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sherry
Alternative sauce (no alcohol):
- 125 ml cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F. Grease a medium baking dish.
- Beat egg and sugar: Beat the egg and brown sugar until pale, creamy and slightly thickened.
- Add jam: Mix in the apricot jam until smooth.
- Combine liquids: In a separate bowl, mix the milk and vinegar and let it sit for 1 minute to slightly curdle. Stir in the melted butter, then add this to the batter and mix through.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix together the plain flour (all-purpose flour), baking soda (bicarb soda) and salt until evenly combined.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the batter and fold gently until just combined and smooth, do not overmix.
- Bake: Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden and set.
- Make the sauce: While the pudding bakes, heat the sauce ingredients until smooth and just simmering.
- Soak: Remove the pudding from the oven, poke holes all over, then pour the hot sauce evenly over.
- Rest and serve: Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes to absorb fully, then serve warm
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: South African
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 428
- Sugar: 56 g
- Sodium: 518.3 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 75.1 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 64.1 mg
