Last updated on February 9th, 2025
A baked sponge pudding of Dutch origin, Malva Pudding is usually served hot with custard or ice-cream. Made with apricot jam, this typical South African dessert has a lovely caramelised texture.
This Malva Pudding recipe is so easy to make – my son had to do an Afrikaans oral on making a Malva Pudding. He loved the pudding so much that he would often get up early in the morning and make it for breakfast. I had to break it to him that Malva Pudding wasn’t a breakfast item, but that didn’t stop him from making it for mid-morning tea, afternoon tea or dessert.
The recipe he used was unnecessarily complicated so I looked at my Malva pudding recipe and that was also a little complicated (in terms of the method) and had a bit too much sauce and sugar, so I gathered 3 Malva Pudding Recipes and condensed the best parts into one recipe! This method is much easier than a lot of other Malva Pudding recipes and I can confidently say that this is the one you need to make!
Main Ingredients for Malva Pudding
-
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Flour, Bicarb and Salt
- Apricot Jam
- Butter
- Vinegar
- Milk
The Sauce
- Cream (or evaporated milk)
- Butter
- Sugar
- Water
How to Make Malva Pudding
- Start off by beating the eggs and sugar together until creamy
- Add the flour, salt and bicarb.
- Melt the butter and apricot jam in a small pot over the stove and then add to the egg-sugar-flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Add the vinegar and milk and mix until the consistency is smooth.
- Grease a small/medium rectangular ovenproof dish, pour the mixture in and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients together in a small pot and heat on the stove. Mix until sugar has dissolved and the butter melted. Pour over the pudding once it comes out of the oven (ie. preferably whilst it is still hot)
How Do You Serve Malva Pudding?
It is traditionally served with custard or vanilla ice-cream.
What Dish to Bake Malva Pudding in?
You can cook Malva pudding in a rectangular casserole dish for easy portioning and serving or alternately you can portion the batter into ramekin dishes and bake individual portions.
Origin of Malva Pudding
It seems to have originated in Cape Dutch cuisine. The Dutch settlers brought recipes and baking techniques to South Africa in the 17th and 18th century which then blended with local ingredients as well as cultural influences.
Why you will love this dessert
- It uses basic pantry ingredients
- It is quick and easy to make
- It can be made ahead of time and heated up in the oven before serving
Other Traditional South African Puddings You May Enjoy:
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Easy Malva Pudding
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6-8 portions 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A classic South African baked pudding that is sweet and spongy and flavoured with Apricot jam. It is served warm with ice-cream or custard.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar (188ml)
- 2 eggs (room temp)
- 1 cup flour (250ml)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (5ml)
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons smooth apricot jam (30ml)
- 2 tablespoons butter (30ml)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (5ml)
- 1/2 cup milk (125ml)
The Sauce
- 1/2 cup cream (125ml)
- 1/2 cup butter (125ml)
- 1/3 cup sugar (83ml)
- 1/2 cup water/Orange juice/Sherry/Brandy (125ml)
Instructions
- Set oven to 180°C
- Beat sugar and eggs until creamy and light in colour.
- Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into the the sugar-egg mixture
- Melt butter and apricot jam in a small pot on medium heat and once melted add to the sugar-egg-flour mixture.
- Add the vinegar as well as the milk and mix until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour into a small-medium casserole dish (approx 25cm x 15cm x 7cm)
- Bake at 180°C for 30-35 mins until the top is nicely browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- In the meantime, you can prepare the sauce. Melt all the sauce ingredients together in a small pot over a medium heat and pour over the pudding before serving, preferably while it’s still hot. The sauce will absorb into the sponge, creating the heavenly Malva Pudding!
- Serve it with ice-cream or custard.
Mmmm,delicious.
mmmmmh lekker
Baie lekker…eks mal ook malva pudding
I’m lovin this… Especially with warm custard and whipped cream… Aaaaa heaven…
My son and I baked the pud on 27 April.The recipe yields a large pudding-at least six generous helpings.This is not one of those dense,dry malva puddings which I have lately encountered on some restaurant menus.Fluffy and spongy-it slurps up the delicious sauce and is just yummy.Easy and quick.A winner.
Absolutely pleasing to the sense of taste
An excellent recipe. Tried it 4 times. Flopproof. Even doubled and trebled it- no problem.
Yummmm.. My new favorite dessert..
Thx for the recipe!
I followed recipe exactly n baked using a muffin tray. Yielded 12 regular cupcake sized puddings. Yummmmmy!
I made this pudding last night. It was a tastebud explosion! An absolute winner and so easy too!
this is heaven, my 5yr old an her dad are hooked, now I have to bake atleast on a weekly basis.
I must say the woolworths recipe has nothing compared to this malva pudding,
This comment is hilarious, as this is the woolworth’s recipe! http://taste.co.za/recipes/sticky-malva-pudding-with-brandy-sauce/
This was really good! Full portions for 6 of us!
Awesome recipe, made it a couple of times over the last 2 weeks and it never lets me down!
This recipe is to die for .Made it fo my family of twelve everyone was asking me for a recipe they want to do it at their homes.This is the best malva i’ve ever had 10/10
Yummy everytime 🙂 Perfect recipe
I have made malva pudding several time and it was delicious,my problem is that it does not turn out dark brown,i used clear vinegar(spirit),must i use dark vinegar to get that dark brown colour?
Made this Malva pudding for Christmas and it was a hit. Will definitely try it again.
I tried the recipe, wow, my whole family loved it! My 10 year old son, at most of the pudding! Thank you
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was lekker!! My first time making it and i was impressed.Never went wrong.My whole family enjoyed it thoroughly.It’s a keeper.Thanks
Hi there, tried the recipe and used Liqui fruit Mango and Orange for the sauce and it was THE BOMB!!!
Well done, keep up the good work.
Yummy
I made a double portion for a function and everybody enjoyed it so much, that I had to email the recipe to about 4 people this morning. This was the very first time I ever made malva pudding. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi I need to know for 20 people what quantity shud I do? Please urgent need for Friday. Thanks .
Made me laugh….emailed ‘about’ 4 people! Well was it 3 or was it 5? Lol
Delicious…..it s marvellous
AMAzing :)) loved it <3 thank you so much
This is one super awesome malva pudding. magnificanto!
I’m not one foR baking but hav always loved malva pudding, so I decided to try this recipe and voila! It was fantastic, absolutley divine.
Hi,
I have made malva pudding several time and it was delicious,my problem is that it does not turn out dark brown,i used clear vinegar(spirit),must i use dark vinegar to get that dark brown colour?
Please advice me.
You may use dark brown sugar instead of white sugar
My daughter has been bugging me to teach her to cook and bake, I am an buy instant pudding kinda girl. We tried this recipe together and it came out absolutely heavanly! Our comments were,”It tastes better than the Woolies one”!
Malva pudding is by far the most loved winter dessert in our family. This recipe is a keeper! It never flops!
>Lindiwe, 24 Oct 2011: To get a nice brown sponge, check the amount of bicarb you add to your batter. Add half a teaspoon more if you prefer a darker pudding and/or bake 5 minutes longer.
Wow very nice for my first attempt! followed the recipe but on the sauce part i let it boil for a while till it thickened.
Tried this recipe not only is it yummy but also afFordable!!!! Tried it and wow! It was out of this world
Where can I find baking school in gauteng ,I want to learn and bake for a living.very hardworking person
Totally loved this recipe! I prefer cooking to baking any day but I found that this recipe was really easy to make. My family has now nominted me to bring dessert (malva pudding) to the next family gathering! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing. This is the best “Malva” I have ever tasted.
We have just tried the recipe and mmmh! doesn’t it taste great!!!
Best Malva pudding recipe ever!!!!! South African heaven!!!!
Delicious. I followed the recipe and it came out perfectly. I no longer enjoy other malva puddings but the one prepared by myself with your help. Whenever we have family gatherings I’m requested to prepare malva. Thank you
This is the bestest malva recipe ever, made it 3times already and thanks to you I am now the queen of malva! My husband is not a fan of desserts an pudding and the likes but decided that he wants malva every year for his birthday, and of course, every now and again. Made it 3 times this week and its still not enough. Can’t thank you enough for this winning flop proof recipe!
Hey guys. I used granulated sugar instead of castor sugar and im only halfway through the baking process but pudding is sinking in the middle but turning brown as expected. Dint know where I went wrong 🙁
I Love This Pudding!! Was super easy and super yummy .. Im Kind of a legend in the family thanks to this. Il be making it for Mothers Day Lunch tomorrow. Grateful for this xx
Absolutely scrumptious!!!!!
Thank you to my dear friend for introducing me up this recipe after me and my husband tasted out first ever malva pudding at ‘Meat &Co’. This was just as good!:)
I tried…tasty enough… but it didnt come brown from inside but cooked…wats the mistake… thanku
Try it with a can of mix fruit in the batter befor cooking and a spoon of condensed milk, drain the liquid first from the can. Yummy
hi Lydia. I have used granulated sugar all the times I’ve made this pudding, and its come out perfectly all the times.probably you opened the oven too early or the temperature was too low or some other reason but not the sugar.
great pudding by the way. soooooo delicious.
Please can you advise why my malva pudding sinks in the centre, what am I doing wrong
Can I use margerine instead of pure butter
You may trickle sugar/maple syrup instead of white sugar to get nice brown coulor .
yo
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I recently did a Blog post myself on “How to make Malva pudding STEP by STEP” and I think it is something worth having a look at seeing that we both have the same thing here.
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