How to Make Malva Pudding: The South African Dessert You Will Make Again and Again

 Sticky. Sweet. Spongy. Soaked in a warm, buttery sauce that disappears into every corner of the cake. This is malva pudding — and once you make it, it will never leave your recipe book.

By K.B. Shivuri · The Seasoned HearthPrep: 15 minutesBake: 45 minutesServes: 8

If you have ever sat at a South African table after Sunday lunch and watched someone bring out a warm, wobbling dish of malva pudding from the kitchen, you already know the feeling. The room goes quiet. People lean forward. Someone asks if there is custard. There is always custard.

Malva pudding is one of South Africa's most beloved desserts — a rich, caramelised, spongy baked pudding with Cape Dutch and Cape Malay roots, made with apricot jam and bicarbonate of soda, and finished with a warm butter sauce poured straight over the hot pudding the moment it comes out of the oven. That sauce is everything. It soaks into every pore of the cake and gives it that signature stickiness that nobody can resist.

In this recipe, I am going to show you exactly how to make it from scratch, with all the tips and tricks I have learned over the years to get it right every single time. This is old-fashioned, from-scratch cooking — exactly what The Seasoned Hearth is all about.

Prep Time

15 min

Bake Time

45 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Easy

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What Makes Malva Pudding So Special?

The name malva is believed to come from the Afrikaans word for the marshmallow plant — which gives you a clue about the texture this pudding is famous for. Soft, pillowy, and almost bouncy when fresh from the oven.

The two ingredients that make malva pudding different from any ordinary sponge cake are apricot jam and bicarbonate of soda. The apricot jam adds a deep, fruity sweetness and helps the pudding develop its dark, caramelised colour and slightly sticky surface. The bicarb reacts with the vinegar in the batter to create a light, airy crumb that soaks up the butter sauce like a sponge.

Malva pudding has been on South African tables for generations — passed down through grandmothers, written on handwritten recipe cards, and served at every special occasion from birthday parties to heritage braais. This is a recipe worth knowing.

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What You Will Need

For the Pudding Batter

• White sugar1 cup (200g)
• Large eggs2
• Smooth apricot jam1 tablespoon
• Salted butter, softened1 tablespoon
• Full cream milk1 cup (250ml)
• White vinegar1 teaspoon
• Bicarbonate of soda1 teaspoon
• Plain flour (cake flour)1½ cups (190g)
• Pinch of salt¼ teaspoon

For the Warm Butter Sauce

• Salted butter125g
• Fresh cream1 cup (250ml)
• White sugar½ cup (100g)
• Boiling water¼ cup (60ml)
• Vanilla essence1 teaspoon

The Seasoned Hearth tipUse smooth apricot jam — chunky jam leaves bits in the batter that do not mix evenly. If your apricot jam is very thick, warm it for 15 seconds in the microwave before adding it. Do not skip or reduce the jam; it is the secret to the deep colour and sticky top.

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How to Make Malva Pudding — Step by Step

Step 1 — Prepare your dish and oven

1. 1
   Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a medium baking dish (roughly 20cm × 28cm or a similar size) generously with butter — get into the corners. Set aside.

Step 2 — Make the batter

1. 2
   In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with a hand mixer or whisk for about 3–4 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and slightly fluffy. This step builds the structure of your pudding — do not rush it.
2. 3
   Add the apricot jam and softened butter. Beat again until combined.
3. 4
   In a separate small bowl or jug, combine the milk, white vinegar, and bicarbonate of soda. Stir gently — it will foam up slightly. This reaction is what gives malva pudding its lift.
4. 5
   Add the flour and salt to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk mixture — flour first, then milk, then flour again. Stir gently after each addition until you have a smooth, pourable batter. Do not overmix.

Important — do not overmixOnce you add the flour, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten and makes the pudding tough rather than soft and spongy. A few gentle folds is all you need.

Step 3 — Bake

1. 6
   Pour the batter into your greased baking dish. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Do not open the oven earlyResist the temptation to open the oven before 35 minutes. The pudding needs that uninterrupted heat to rise evenly. Opening too early can cause the centre to sink.

Step 4 — Make the warm butter sauce

1. 7
   While the pudding bakes, make the sauce. Place the butter, cream, sugar, and boiling water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves completely. Do not let it boil — you want it warm and smooth, not reduced.
2. 8
   Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla essence. Keep warm until the pudding is ready.

Step 5 — The most important step: pour the sauce immediately

1. 9
   The moment the pudding comes out of the oven, pour the warm butter sauce evenly over the entire surface. Use all of it — yes, all of it. The hot pudding will absorb it as it cools. This is what gives malva pudding its legendary stickiness and richness.
2. 10
   Allow the pudding to rest for 10–15 minutes before serving, so the sauce can fully soak in.

The Seasoned Hearth tip — make it extra indulgentFor an even richer malva pudding, use a fork or skewer to poke small holes across the surface of the pudding before pouring the sauce. The sauce travels deeper into the cake and the result is extraordinarily moist all the way through.

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How to Serve Malva Pudding

Malva pudding is best served warm — the contrast between the sticky hot pudding and cold, creamy accompaniment is what makes it so irresistible. Serve it with any of the following:

• Ultramel custard — the South African classic. Warm or cold, poured generously.
• Vanilla ice cream — a scoop that begins to melt into the warm pudding. Absolutely heavenly.
• Lightly whipped fresh cream — simple, elegant, and perfect.
• Crème fraîche — slightly tangy, which balances the sweetness of the pudding beautifully.

Make it aheadMalva pudding reheats beautifully. Make it the day before, cover the dish, and reheat in a low oven (150°C) for 15–20 minutes before serving. It is one of those rare desserts that is just as good the next day — some say even better, as the sauce has had more time to soak in.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my malva pudding dry in the middle?

This usually happens when the sauce is not poured while the pudding is still very hot. The sauce must go on immediately out of the oven — that is when the pudding is most porous and absorbs the liquid. Waiting even 10 minutes reduces absorption significantly. Poking holes with a fork or skewer before pouring also helps.

Can I make malva pudding without apricot jam?

Technically yes, but the result will not be the same. The apricot jam contributes both flavour and acidity, which reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help the pudding rise and develop its dark, caramelised top. If you do not have apricot jam, peach jam is the closest substitute. Do not leave it out entirely.

Can I use a different size baking dish?

Yes — but adjust your baking time. A deeper dish (like a round cake tin) will need 5–10 minutes longer and may produce a taller, moister pudding. A very shallow, wide dish will bake faster. Always check with a skewer; the pudding is done when it comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown.

How do I store leftover malva pudding?

Cover the dish tightly with cling wrap or transfer portions to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, place a portion in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 45–60 seconds, or reheat the full dish covered in a 150°C oven for 15–20 minutes. Add a small splash of warm cream over the top before reheating if it looks a little dry.

Is malva pudding the same as sticky toffee pudding?

They are similar in spirit — both are warm, saucy, sticky baked puddings — but they are different recipes. Sticky toffee pudding uses dates and a toffee sauce, while malva pudding uses apricot jam and a cream-based butter sauce. The texture of malva pudding is also lighter and spongier. Malva pudding is uniquely South African and has its own distinct flavour that is hard to compare to anything else.

From My Kitchen to Yours

This is the kind of recipe that belongs in every South African home. Simple ingredients, a generous hand with the butter sauce, and the patience to let it rest — that is all it takes. I hope this malva pudding brings as much warmth to your table as it has to mine over the years.

— K.B. Shivuri, The Seasoned Hearth