Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (2024)

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Malva pudding, also called malvapoeding or marshmallow pudding, is a traditional South African dessert. Since South African restaurants are a rarity overseas, you probably haven't come across malva pudding until now.

Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (1)

It is a sweet pudding recipe with a yellow sponge drenched in a decadent sauce. Generally, it also contains apricot jam, which is a classic ingredient in South African cuisine.

As a finishing touch, it's topped with either vanilla custard or fresh cream. On this occasion, my malva pudding is all kinds of special. My secret? Amarula liqueur, a drink made with marula fruit from Africa.

In total, it will take roughly one hour to complete this malva pudding recipe. It's best served hot, straight out of the oven.

However, you can also consume it when it is cool. In any event, you will fall in love with this South African malva pudding recipe at first bite. Enjoy exploring the joys of South African cooking.

malva pudding with Amarula liqueur

Usually, the sauce comprises butter, cream and sugar. To make it family-friendly, orange juice can be added. For the grown ups, a touch of alcohol can be used such as Amarula liqueur, sherry or your favourite liqueur.

I've used South Africa's favourite liqueur before in my amazing Amarula cheesecake recipe.It's visually stunning thanks to the vibrant colour of the liqueur and simply tastes incredible!

what is Amarula?

Amarula is a traditional cream liqueur made with marula fruit, which comes from theAfrican Marula tree, called Sclerocarya Birrea. The Marula tree only grows in one place in the entire in the entire world. So many people tried to cultivate the tree, but have failed to succeed. This picky tree can only be found in the sub-Equatorial region of Africa.

In African folklore legends, the tree is also known as The Elephant Tree or the Marriage Tree. Many tribes have acknowledged that that the tree and its fruit has aphrodisiac qualities. Believed to be fit for royalty, this tree is protected by African law, just like elephants.

The Marula tree only bears fruit once a year at the peak of summer. What's best that this magical tree is that it attracts elephants. They travel for miles to eat from it. This is also a signal to farmers that the harvest can commence, otherwise the elephants wouldn't leave any fruit for anyone else!

So, once the Marula fruit has ripened, it is harvested and stoned. In fact, the way the spirit is distilled is very similar to the winemaking process. It ages for approximately two years in French oak, which is where it gets its vanilla flavour and velvety texture from.

Last year, Amarula received the 2018 Brand of the Year Award amongst many others, which has made it Africa's most awarded cream liqueur!

To learn more about Amarula and how it's made, click here.

Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (2)

Oprah's malva pudding recipe

Would you believe me if I told you that malva pudding only started gaining popularity in 2006 in the USA? Back then, Oprah's personal chef Art Smith, served it on the show for Christmas.

Instantly, malva pudding became a hit in the USA, especially around the West Coast. Slowly, it became an international sensation and more people started to enjoy the South African cuisine.

individual malva pudding recipe

Traditionally, malva pudding is made in a large baking dish. However, for cuter presentation, you can use ramekins to serve as individual portions. In this way everyone will have they own little malva pudding cake.

The key to this malva pudding recipe though is to get the texture right. Just like the name suggests, malvalekker which means marshmallow, the pudding should possess a soft texture.

So make sure that you don't over-bake the malva pudding. Otherwise, it will lose its soft texture and the taste might be compromised. If in doubt, fix it with the Amarula liqueur which will moisten it.

Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (3)

What to serve with Malva pudding

I highly recommend you to serve this malva pudding with a small glass of Amarula liqueur with ice. Beware though, this is then an adult-only dessert.

Other toppings you can consider are:

  • hot vanilla cream or custard
  • whipped cream
  • hokey pokey ice cream
  • Ferrero rocher ice cream
  • peanut butter and jelly ice cream
  • chocolate fudge sauce
  • other types of syrups
  • fresh fruit
Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (4)

South African cuisine

Generally speaking, South African cuisine is a mishmash of cultures due to its long history of colonisation. On the whole, can find influences from the Dutch, English, French, English, Portuguese, Bengalese, Java and Malaysian people.

Of course, the indigenous people had an influence as well! As you can tell, there is always a recipe for everyone.

For instance, if you really would like to make a South African feast, try these savoury dishes:

  • booereboontijes - green bean and potato mash
  • geelrys - traditional yellow rice
  • bobotie - a savoury pie
  • ham en kaas souttert - traditional ham and cheese filling tart
  • denningvleis - traditional meaty dish
Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (5)

If you feel like these South African recipe are too exotic for you, then I strongly suggest you try this malva pudding first. It really does conquer the heart of any non-adventurious eater!

Have you ever had the opportunity to taste Amarula liqueur? Have you ever tried any South African dish like this malva pudding? Let me know!

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📖 Recipe

Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (6)

Malva Pudding

★★★★★5 from 1 review
  • Author: Michelle Minnaar
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This malva pudding recipe, also known as malvapoeding, is a classic South African dessert loved by many in the Rainbow Nation. You will love this easy recipe, especially with Amarula.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 250ml (1 cup) caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) smooth apricot jam
  • 185g (6 ½ oz) plain flour
  • 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 30ml (2 tbsp) butter
  • 5ml (1 tsp) white vinegar
  • 125ml (½ cup) milk
  • 250ml (1 cup) double cream
  • 125ml (½ cup) butter
  • 125ml (½ cup) white sugar
  • 125ml (½ cup) Amarula

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C /350°F/gas mark 4.
  2. Beat the caster sugar and eggs until fluffy and light.
  3. Beat in the apricot jam.
  4. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together 3 times.
  5. Melt the butter with vinegar and milk over low heat.
  6. Fold the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately into the egg mixture and pour the batter into a greased ovenproof dish.
  7. Bake the pudding for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Meanwhile, place the cream, butter, sugar and Amarula into a saucepan and stir over moderate heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
  9. Remove the pudding from the oven, pierce it in a number of places with a skewer and pour the hot sauce over it immediately.
  10. Serve hot or cold with cream.

Notes

  • Substitute the Amarula with sherry, orange juice or water if you prefer.
  • Want some extra punch to the Amarula sauce? Add no more than an extra 100ml (3fl oz) to the sauce. You might end up not using all the sauce to soak the sponge with. Just serve the leftover sauce on the side.
  • If there are sherry-averse eaters in the crowd, serve the sauce separately from the pudding to give them a choice.
  • You can also serve the pudding with custard or ice-cream.
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: South African

Keywords: Malva Pudding, malvapoeding recipe, South African dessert recipes, South African pudding

Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (7)
Malva Pudding - A Traditional South African Dessert Recipe With Amarula (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous dessert in South Africa? ›

Malva pudding

You can't name South African desserts without mentioning everyone's all-time favourite: malva pudding. No South African winter is complete with a generous slice of malva pudding and warm, velvety custard.

Does malva pudding contain alcohol? ›

Proponents of this theory include brandy or sherry in the sauce. Still others suggest that the pudding was originally accompanied by Malvasia wine.

What is the history of malva pudding in South Africa? ›

Malva pudding has distinctly Dutch origins. Dutch colonists brought the pudding to South Africa when they arrived in the mid-1600s, largely in connection with Dutch East India voyages. In some ways, the dessert provided a taste of home for European families establishing a colony in Africa's hot and arid climate.

Is malva pudding the same as sticky toffee pudding? ›

Malva is the equivalent of the English sticky toffee pudding except sticky toffee is significantly sweeter and made with dates. This moist, dense, almost caramelised texture is amazingly moreish.

What was Nelson Mandela's Favourite dessert? ›

RECIPE: Malva pudding was Nelson Mandela's favourite dessert.

What is the national sweet of South Africa? ›

Malva pudding

The mother of all South African desserts and the only competitor of the milk tart for the title of South African's national dessert, Malva pudding is a sweet pudding of custard with a jam. Some recipes have more of an unexpected slight sourness, but it always has caramel and syrup to make the cake moist.

How to defrost malva pudding? ›

Best defrost practice: defrost in refrigerator overnight. Alternatively defrost at room temperature (20⁰C - 23⁰C) for 2 - 4 hours (Desserts) or 30 min (Gateaux slices). Keep defrosted; unused desserts covered in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 days.

Does malva pudding contain eggs? ›

In a large mixing bowl add your first 4 ingredients - butter, sugar, jam and egg. Beat until it lightens and gets a bit fluffier. If you only have a fork, the fluffy part isn't make-or-break. In a large measuring cup or a bowl, add milk, then vinegar and vanilla essence.

Where is the oldest dessert in the world? ›

Apart from bearing the lofty distinction as the world's oldest dessert, ashure retains important spiritual significance today across Anatolia, the lands comprising the majority of modern-day Turkey.

What dessert did the Old World eat? ›

English sweets included many types of cakes, custards, and fritters such as funnel cake. They used strawberries, apples, figs, raisins, currants and almonds. They also made cheese-based sweets including cheesecake.

What is the name of the dessert in southern Africa? ›

Kalahari Desert, large basinlike plain of the interior plateau of Southern Africa. It occupies almost all of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia, and the northernmost part of Northern Cape province in South Africa. In the southwest it merges with the Namib, the coastal desert of Namibia.

What kind of jam sweetens malva pudding? ›

South African Malva Pudding is a dessert featuring a spongy cake base infused with apricot jam, baked until caramelized. Flavor: A sweet spongy cake base is infused with fruity apricot jam and toasty caramel notes.

What is the Irish pudding? ›

A well-known Irish dish in this category is white pudding, a grain-based sausage flavored with plenty of fat and then stuffed into a sausage casing. Masterclass explains that white pudding typically uses oatmeal or barley, pork or beef suet, breadcrumbs, spices, and occasionally pork meat or pork liver.

Which is posh pudding or dessert? ›

“Dessert” is the posh word for “Pudding”, restaurants sell dessert, cafes sell pudding.

What are the two main deserts in South Africa? ›

The two deserts found in Southern Africa are the Namib and the Kalahari. The Namib desert is located along the Western coast of Namibia and is one of the oldest deserts in the world.

What is the most famous snack in South Africa? ›

1. Biltong & droewors. Dry curing was a method used to preserve meat by the indigenous tribes of South Africa before fridges were invented. Usually made from beef or game, such as springbok, biltong (a thinly sliced, air-dried meat) and droewors (an air-dried sausage) are traditionally eaten as snacks.

What is the name of the dessert in Southern Africa? ›

Kalahari Desert, large basinlike plain of the interior plateau of Southern Africa. It occupies almost all of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia, and the northernmost part of Northern Cape province in South Africa. In the southwest it merges with the Namib, the coastal desert of Namibia.

What is the traditional dessert in Cape Town? ›

Milk tart, or melktert in Afrikaans, is a classic South African dessert adopted from Dutch settlers at the Cape. It consists of a sweet pastry filled with a creamy custard of milk, flour, sugar and eggs, baked in a round pie tin and dusted with cinnamon.

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