Classic Traditional Malva Pudding
Desserts

Classic Traditional Malva Pudding

A sweet and spongy apricot-infused dessert that is a staple of South African cuisine.

15 mins Serves 6Shared by gbroekmann

Origin & History

This Cape Dutch origin pudding is traditionally served at Sunday lunches across South Africa.

Adjust servings:
6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp apricot jam
    🇬🇧 UK tip:Available at most UK supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose) in the jam aisle
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup cream (for sauce)
  • 1/2 cup butter (for sauce)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (for sauce)
  • 1/2 cup hot water (for sauce)

Method

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 180C.

  2. 2

    Beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy.

  3. 3

    Add jam and melted butter.

  4. 4

    Sift dry ingredients and add to egg mixture alternating with milk and vinegar.

  5. 5

    Pour into a greased baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.

  6. 6

    Boil sauce ingredients together and pour over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Top Tips

  • Poke holes in the pudding before pouring sauce|Serve warm with custard|Don't overmix the batter|The sauce must be boiling hot.

Serve with

Traditionally paired with other South African classics:

Community Kitchen

Every South African family has their own version of this recipe — small tweaks passed down through generations. Do you make yours differently? Share your family variation with the community.

Share the recipe

Free email · no account needed

Recipes, braai days and match days — in one email

New South African recipes, SA events near you and every Springboks, Proteas and Bafana fixture with the UK channel. Free.

Email only, unsubscribe any time. Privacy notice

Analytics

We'd like to use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages get read. It stores an ID on your device. Say no and the site works exactly the same — nothing here affects signing in, the match-day poll or the newsletter, which don't need your permission because they only do what you asked for.

You can change this any time on our cookies and storage page.