Malva Pudding with Cranberries & Ginger

Experience a delightful twist on a classic South African dessert. This Malva pudding is known for its incredible spongy texture and sweet, sticky apricot glaze. With the addition of zesty ginger and tart cranberries, this recipe elevates the traditional comfort food into a dessert with a complex and warming flavor profile that is absolutely irresistible. Best served warm, drenched in its rich, buttery sauce.

Instructions

1. 1

   To begin, preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Thoroughly grease your chosen baking dish, whether it's a glass or ceramic dish, a bundt cake tin, or mini bundt molds.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg, sugar, and apricot jam together on a medium-high setting for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. 3

   In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. In the microwave, melt the teaspoon of butter, and then add the vinegar to it.

4. 4

   With your mixer running on a low speed, alternately add portions of the sifted dry ingredients and the milk to the egg mixture. Continue until everything is just combined and you have a smooth batter.

5. 5

   Add the butter-vinegar mixture and the chopped preserved ginger to the batter and mix briefly until incorporated. Scrape the batter into your prepared baking dish.

6. 6

   Take the drained cranberries and scatter them evenly over the surface of the pudding batter. Since the batter is quite thin, this helps prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom. You can use a skewer to gently swirl them in slightly if you like.

7. 7

   Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. If you're using a bundt tin, increase the time to 50-55 minutes. For mini bundt molds, bake for 35-40 minutes. The pudding is done when it has a uniform golden-brown color on top.

8. 8

   While the pudding is baking, prepare the sauce by combining the cream, butter, sugar, and orange juice in a small pot. Melt these ingredients over the stove until they are well-combined.

9. 9

   As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, pour the warm sauce generously over the top. If using a bundt shape, pour about a quarter of the sauce over the top, wait a few minutes, then tip it out of the tin while it's still warm, running a knife around the edges to help release it. Serve immediately, drizzling with more warm sauce as needed.

Recipe Notes

• Serving this pudding warm is essential for the best experience. If you are baking in multiple dishes or a bundt tin, it can be tricky to drench the entire dessert in sauce at once. Feel free to hold some of the warm sauce back and drizzle it over individual servings just before eating.

• The addition of ginger and cranberries provides a wonderful contrast to the traditional sweet, apricot flavor. Soaking the cranberries in hot water beforehand plumps them up and prevents them from getting hard and chewy during baking.

• While the recipe provides a general baking time, remember that ovens can vary. The best indicator of doneness is the color of the pudding—a rich, even golden-brown hue tells you it’s ready to come out. If the middle is still pale, give it a few more minutes.

• If you're feeling extra decadent, serve this warm pudding with a side of vanilla custard or ice cream to complete the experience.