Warm Malva Pudding to beat the Cape’s icy weather

If you were in parts of the Western Cape this week, you have experienced crappy and icy weather conditions. Jirre, even a blanket of snow covered Table Mountain. This writer, a proud Joburger, now knows what it’s like to experience unfortunate weather conditions because he sojourned in Cape Town. 

Many things are dysfunctional in Joburg, but not the weather. Even during the official winter season, it has been mostly warm in Joburg, with summer highs. However, a cold snap is forecast in Joburg in the coming days, and then the city will return to its usual spring/summer conditions.

The cold snap in the Western Cape, particularly Cape Town, pushed my taste buds to crave something warm, comforting, and sweet. I was craving malva pudding, a Cape classic, and something Ouma would whip up in minutes to quell the cold snap momentarily. My choice of dish to cater to the craving must have been influenced by being in Cape Town as malva pudding is a firm favourite in the Mother City. 

Also, dear reader, I have promised you a weekly series of South African dishes in the lead-up to Heritage Day on 24 September. If you missed it, the series started with my first attempt at making pap at 32 years old.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Late bloomer! I finally know how to make pap

The second instalment of the series ventures into malva pudding. I don’t have any childhood experiences of malva pudding that many South Africans have. Experiences of watching Ouma making the sauce-smothered sponge that smells like baked honey, and with a rich taste of apricot jam. My encounter with the dessert is usually at restaurants, and if it’s on the menu it is my go-to choice. I’ve also noticed that leading grocery stores also sell ready-made malva pudding — perfect for millennials like me who are always prepared to pay for convenience. 

However, making malva pudding from scratch is easy. I cheated a bit as my dearest sister and former Daily Maverick journalist, Ruan Jooste, assisted me. She’s Afrikaans and is brimmed with fond memories of Ouma’s malva pudding, laden with lots of sugar to give it a sticky toffee taste. 

My surprising discovery about malva pudding is that it requires ingredients you already have in your cupboard and fridge. Aside from the required cream, most cupboards and fridges have flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, apricot jam, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, and baking powder. 

You might baulk at the malva pudding recipe requiring a lot of sugar, about a cup to equal the flour quantity. However, the generous sugar quantity is important because the sugar melts in the oven and gives the pudding a soft and sticky toffee texture. If you put in less sugar, your malva might be bready. Now is not the time to be on a restrictive diet if you are craving the dish. 

Keep in mind that malva pudding is best served warm, usually 10-15 minutes after the sponge is out of the oven so that the cream sauce soaks into the pudding.

However, Jooste opined that my malva pudding tasted much better after letting it rest for a couple of hours. I’m not sure if that was a backhanded compliment. A Google search for malva pudding spits out pages of recipes. I recreated Tony Jackman’s brilliant malva pudding. However, mine is a pared-down version, without the bells and whistles. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: What’s cooking today: Orange malva pudding

(Serves 4)

Ray’s Malva Pudding

Pouring over the sauce, left, and the finished pudding. (Photos: Ray Mahlaka)