Apricot jam gives this baked sponge its gentle fruitiness, and a hot butter, cream and vanilla sauce poured over straight from the oven turns it soft and sticky to the last crumb. Pantry staples, one dish, and dessert is sorted for a cold night.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Resting
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves
- 6 servings
You will need 20 x 20 cm ovenproof dish · electric beaters or food processor · mixing bowls · sieve · small pot · skewer
Ingredients
Pudding
Sauce
Method
Make the pudding
Heat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20 x 20 cm ovenproof dish with butter. If your fan oven runs hot, set it to 170°C.
Beat the 180 g sugar (or xylitol) and the eggs with electric beaters for about 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the apricot jam.
Melt the 1 tbsp butter gently without letting it boil, then stir it into the egg mixture along with the vinegar.
Sift the cake flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together, then add to the bowl with the milk and beat until smooth.
Pour the batter into the dish/muffin tins, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until well risen, deep brown on top and a skewer comes out clean. If you are wanting to make the malva pudding in muffin pans, the following: • Standard / Mini Muffins: 16 to 25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). • Jumbo or Large Muffin Tins: 25 to 35 minutes
Make the sauce and finish
While the pudding bakes, put the cream, 100 g butter, 150 g sugar (or xylitol) and hot water in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat and add the vanilla.
As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, prick it all over with a skewer and pour the hot sauce evenly over the top.
Leave the pudding to stand, kept warm, for 15 minutes so the sauce soaks right in, then cut into squares and serve warm with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.
Tips
- For a sugar-free version, swap both quantities of white sugar for the same weight of xylitol, which measures 1:1; keep it away from dogs, as xylitol is toxic to them.
- The pudding should be moist but not swimming, so trust the sauce quantity even if it looks like too little at first.
- Make it a few hours ahead, then cover with foil and reheat at 160°C for 15 minutes before serving.
- Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and warm up well in the microwave.
Classic Malva Pudding with Butter Cream Sauce: your questions answered
Why did the sauce not soak into my malva pudding?
The pudding had cooled before the sauce went on, or it was not pricked enough. Prick it all over the moment it leaves the oven and pour the sauce over while both are hot.
Can malva pudding be made the day before?
Yes, keep it covered in the fridge overnight, then cover with foil and warm it at 160°C for about 15 minutes before serving.
Is malva pudding the same as sticky toffee pudding?
They are close cousins, but malva uses apricot jam in the batter and a cream and butter sauce rather than dates and a toffee sauce.
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