• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Greedy Gourmet | Food & Travel Blog
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
    • Where To Eat in England
      • London
      • Berkshire
      • Essex
      • Surrey
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Montenegro
      • Ireland
    • Netherlands
    • Serbia
    • Spain
  • Places to Visit
    • Places to Stay in England
    • France
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Portugal
    • Spain
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Places to Visit
  • Restaurants
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Special Diets / Vegetarian / Malva Pudding

    Malva Pudding

    4 September 2019 - By Michelle Minnaar
    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Facebook116TweetPin9.8kYummly4Shares9.9k
    Jump to Recipe

    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 in a casserole dish with a bottle of amarula

    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 the African 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.

    Cream in a baking dish

    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.

    Baked brown pudding

    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 
    Pouring cream into a Malva Pudding

    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
    A bottle of amarula and a finsihed Malva Pudding

    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!

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Malva Pudding


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Michelle Minnaar
    • Total Time: 60 minutes
    • Yield: 10 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin 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

    Scale
    • 250ml (1 cup) caster sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) smooth apricot jam
    • 185g (6½ 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

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @greedygourmet on Instagram and hashtag it #greedygourmet

    Malva Pudding Recipe

    More Vegetarian

    • Peppermint Crisp Tart
    • Malteser Tiffin
    • Chocolate Coconut Clusters
    • Courgette Tart
    Facebook116TweetPin9.8kYummly4Shares9.9k

    DON’T MISS A THING!

    New recipes, tips & tricks, reviews and giveaways every week!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Veggie Belly

      May 13, 2010 at 5:16 am

      Ive been looking forward to this recipe! Looks absolutely scrumptious!

      Reply
    2. Marisa

      May 13, 2010 at 9:13 am

      Yes please! Nothing, but nothing tastes better than a syrupy malva pudding.

      Reply
    3. Suus

      May 17, 2010 at 12:07 pm

      My grandma used to make the best, but your malvapoeding looks great as well!

      Are you, perchance, also familiar with post toastiepoeding? It’s my absolute FAVORITE, and the recipe is, of course, from a Huisgenoot cook book.

      Reply
    4. Casey Angelova

      May 18, 2010 at 12:16 pm

      This looks fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing. It is so important to know your roots.
      You can link up to Africa Day with Linky.

      Reply
    5. Jeanne @ CookSister!

      May 19, 2010 at 11:38 am

      Mmmmmm….malvapoeding! Yum. If there’s one thing South Africans do really well, it’s hot, syrupy baked puddings 🙂

      Reply
    6. nina

      May 19, 2010 at 2:23 pm

      Still remains my favorite winter pud!! A true SA classic, see you at the mingle!!

      Reply
    7. The Duo Dishes

      May 19, 2010 at 6:35 pm

      This sounds AMAZING! Never heard of it of course, but if you’re going to call something marshmallow pudding, it will be eaten. Delicious.

      Reply
    8. Trix

      May 25, 2010 at 1:31 pm

      This looks great – I think you did the only sweet for Africa Day. But I like that it doesn’t seem too sweet – just right with coffee or tea.

      Reply
    9. Stella

      May 25, 2010 at 8:24 pm

      Hey, I just saw this on Casey’s blog-it looks excellent. I didn’t notice that any marshmallow ( the real stuff ) is in it. Is it just called marshmallow bread due to it’s texture?

      Reply
    10. delicieux

      May 31, 2010 at 7:25 am

      This looks delicious and perfect for the cooler weather.

      Reply
    11. Michelle

      May 31, 2010 at 10:47 pm

      Thanks: Veggie Belly, Marisa, Casey, Jeanne, Nina, The Duo Dishes, Trix, Stella and Delicieux!

      Suus: I’ve never heard of toastiepoeding. Care to tell me more??

      Stella: Yeah, the name is confusing, isn’t it? I think you’re right that marshmallow refers to the texture of the dessert.

      Reply
    12. Mic

      June 12, 2010 at 4:45 pm

      I am posting some info on the name and history of this pudding toward the end of this week. The name actually has nothing to do with the texture of the pudding, it’s just some translation gone wrong and people adding their own little tales leading to the “marsmallow” part of the name.

      Also posting the “secret” ultimate Malva Pudding recipe. I think every person here in Cape Town has it, but somehow never shares it. It’s the old Boschendal recipe from 20 odd years ago and it gives you the most deliciously moist and syrupy pudding. You’ll never use another recipe again. (Sorry if I’m stepping on toes Michelle)

      Look out on the 17th/18th. My research is almost done 😉

      Reply
    13. Mic

      June 12, 2010 at 4:50 pm

      I believe the “toastiepoeding” Suus is referring to is what’s actually called a “Post toastie poedding”. Back in the day, corn flakes were called or referred to as Post Toasties. Someone developed a pudding where you mix the corn flakes, egg, milk, coconut, apricot jam… bake this “mess”, and it miraculously turns into the most wondefully delicious pudding with a lovely custard layer, the cornflakes forming a nice “puddingy” layer and the coconut forming a nice crisp, nutty layer on top. I’ll go scratch out my recipe and post it sometime for interest sake 😉

      Reply
    14. Renil M. George

      October 09, 2017 at 11:04 pm

      Isn’t Marshmallow Pudding one of the best thing in the world?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • michelle

        October 21, 2017 at 10:20 pm

        Oh yes! I am totally with you on that!

        Reply
    15. Niki

      July 01, 2018 at 1:09 am

      You really make it appear really easy with your presentation however I to find
      this matter to be really one thing that I believe I’d by no means understand.
      It sort of feels too complex and very broad for
      me. I’m looking ahead to your subsequent post, I will try to get the cling of it!

      Reply
    16. Tarry

      November 18, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      sounds amazing

      Reply

    Make my day! - Share your thoughts... Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Food Photographer & Blogger

    about michelle

    Welcome to my eclectic collection of recipes from all four corners of the world. I hope to inspire you to get into the kitchen and never eat a boring meal ever again. Want to know more?

    More about me →

    Join the
    Greedy Gourmet club!

    Latest Recipes

    • 11 Coconut Sugar Substitutes
    • Can You Freeze Ham?
    • Fruits that start with M
    • Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Copyright, Privacy & Disclosure Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Services

    • Food Photography
    • Recipe Development
    • Food Videography

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate and affiliate marketer I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Greedy Gourmet