South African Malva Pudding Cakes

Who doesn't love a warm, gooey cake à la mode? Malva pudding is perfect for when you want to indulge and satisfy your sweet tooth.

Traditionally, the pudding is baked in one pan, making it even easier to make. I love the individual mini cakes because it makes for mess-free serving and easy portion control.

Truth be told, the latter doesn't work as intended - these malva pudding cakes are super addictive, and it's so hard to stop at just one!

What is Malva pudding?

Malva pudding (malvapoeding) is a popular South African dessert of Cape Dutch origin. The unique flavor combination of apricot jam and butter-cream sauce creates an appetizing sweetness with caramelized exterior and spongy interior that you'll find only here!

Malva pudding is as ingrained in South African culture as melktert or crunchies.

The cake is poured with cream sauce while it's hot, making the pudding delightfully sticky. It is usually served with ice cream or custard, and sometimes both. Or you can also simply dust it with powdered sugar.

Malva pudding variations:

This South African sticky dessert is something you can experiment with a little:

• Try using ginger in the pudding mix for a little bit of spice or switching some of the ingredients for the cream sauce.
• You can include brandy, sherry, or dark rum into the sauce before pouring it over the pudding for a more adult version.
• I've heard of people using sweetened condensed milk instead of cream, and some like to add almond extract in addition to the vanilla extract.
• Serve the pudding cakes warm or cold as they are, or you can dust them with powdered sugar or top them with ice cream.
• You can make malva pudding as one big cake or use a muffin pan to create single servings. For this recipe, I decided to use a large, 6-cup muffin pan to create those perfect little portions because I love dessert and have minimal self-control.

Whatever your preference is, I guarantee these little pudding cakes will steal your heart!