Malva Milk Tart Pudding
A marriage of two of the most adored South African desserts: malva pudding (a syrupy, caramelized, sponge pudding) and milk tart (a milky, cinnamon infused set custard). Big scoops!
If you are short on time, the malva pudding on its own is a delicious classic South African dessert, served warm with vanilla ice cream or runny custard. If you don’t have self-raising flour, use plain/cake flour with baking powder instead (2 teaspoons/10ml baking powder for every 1 cup/150g of flour). See how-to: Alana Smith (@alanasmithsweetphotography) • Instagram photos and videos
Makes a large dessert (12 - 18 portions)
MALVA PUDDING BATTER
egg, 1
apricot jam, 30ml (2 tablespoons)
unsalted butter, 30g (30ml or 2 tablespoons)
vinegar, 5 ml (1 teaspoon) - white or apple cider vinegar works well
milk, 250ml (1 cup)
caster sugar, 200g (1 cup)
self-raising flour, 150g (250ml or 1 cup)
bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, 5ml (1 teaspoon)
MALVA PUDDING CREAM SAUCE
unsalted butter, 100g
sugar, 200g (250ml or 1 cup) - granulated or caster sugar
cream, 250ml (1 cup)
water, 125ml (1/2 cup)
vanilla extract or paste, 5ml (1 teaspoon)
fine salt, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon)
MILK TART/CINNAMON CUSTARD TOPPING
full fat (full cream) milk, 1 litre
unsalted butter, 30g (2 tablespoons)
cinnamon stick, 1
vanilla, 1/2 pod (or 15ml/1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste)
sugar, 200g (250ml or 1 cup)
eggs, 3
plain/cake flour, 20g (30ml or 2 tablespoons)
cornflour, 50g (80ml or 1/3 cup)
fine salt, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon)
To start, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and melt the first measurement of butter (30g) in a small bowl in the microwave.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, apricot jam, vinegar, melted butter (30g), milk and sugar and whisk to combine.
Add the self-raising flour and bicarbonate of soda and whisk again until uniform (the batter will be runny).
Pour the batter into a large ceramic dish (I use a 30cm diameter round dish of about 4cm deep, but you can use any large dish of similar proportions - remember to adjust the baking time accordingly).
Bake the sponge batter for approximately 30 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean - depending on your size dish).
While the sponge is in the oven, make the sauce by placing all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan.
When the sponge is almost done (around 25 minutes after the start of the bake), heat the sauce ingredients over a medium to high heat until all the butter has melted and the sauce is hot.
Once the sponge is cooked, remove it from the oven and slowly pour over the hot cream sauce.
The amount of sauce may seem excessive at first, but it will all soak in (trust me) - you can poke a few holes with a fork or skewer to help the sauce soak in.
Leave the sauce to slowly soak into the sponge while you make the custard top (if using).
Prepare the custard by pouring the milk into a large saucepan.
Add the butter, cinnamon stick and scraped out seeds and empty vanilla pod (or vanilla bean paste).
Place over a medium heat to infuse.
Place the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the flour, cornflour and salt and whisk well until smooth.
Slowly add the warmed milk mixture to the sugar and egg mixture stirring continuously until the saucepan is empty.
Place a large sieve over the emptied saucepan and pour the milky egg mixture back through the sieve to discard the vanilla pod and cinnamon stick.
Whisk the mixture continuously over a medium to high heat until the custard comes to a boil.
Pour the cooked custard onto the cream sauce-soaked sponge base.
Sprinkle the top of the pudding with ground cinnamon to taste (I used a ruler for a striped decorative effect).
The dessert can be served warm immediately, left to cool to room temperature or enjoyed cold out of the fridge.
Store refrigerated.
