Classic Malva Pudding with Warm Vanilla Custard

⏱ 60 min · Serves 8

This beloved South African baked sponge is gloriously sticky, buttery and caramel-rich — soaked in a hot cream sauce the moment it leaves the oven so every bite is meltingly soft. Paired with silky warm vanilla custard, it is pure comfort in a dish.

Per serving: 618 kcal · 9.0g protein · 72.0g carbs · 33.0g fat

Ingredients

• 200g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 250ml full-fat milk
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• For the soaking sauce:
• 125ml double cream
• 125g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 125ml boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the custard:
• 500ml full-fat milk
• 200ml double cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 80g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20x30cm baking dish well with butter.
2. Beat the eggs and 200g caster sugar together with a hand whisk until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the apricot jam and melted butter and whisk to combine.
4. In a small bowl, stir the bicarbonate of soda into the milk, then add the vinegar — it will fizz up. Add this to the egg mixture along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
5. Sift in the flour and salt and fold gently until you have a smooth, pourable batter.
6. Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
7. Meanwhile, make the soaking sauce: combine the cream, butter, sugar and boiling water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
8. As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, use a skewer to poke holes all over the surface, then pour the hot sauce evenly over it. Let it absorb for 10 minutes — the sponge will drink it all up.
9. For the custard, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until just steaming. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl until smooth. Slowly pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
10. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Keep warm.
11. Serve generous squares of the warm pudding with a generous pour of custard alongside.