Your new favorite south african dessert

In his cookbook Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past (Clarkson Potter, 2025), chef Eric Adjepong calls this his “favorite dessert of all time.” Malva pudding originated in South Africa and is beloved there and throughout its diaspora, but its creation remains a mystery. The lack of concrete facts behind the history of malva pudding seems less important than the dessert’s strong foundation — tender sponge cake seasoned with apricot jam and drenched in buttery sweetened cream. It comes together quickly and easily, and tastes best served warm, making it the ideal way to end a party with friends.

Malva Pudding

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• Butter or nonstick baking spray, for the pan

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons/125 grams all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 cup/150 grams sugar

• 3/4 cup/175 grams whole milk

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 tablespoon apricot jam

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the glaze:

• 2/3 cup/160 grams heavy cream

• 2/3 cup/130 grams sugar

• 6 tablespoons/85 grams cold unsalted butter, diced

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• Pickled apricots and vanilla gelato or ice cream, for serving (optional; see Tip)

Directions:

Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with butter or nonstick baking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl if using an electric handheld mixer, beat the sugar, milk, eggs and salt on medium speed until pourable and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, jam and vinegar, and whisk on high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture in thirds, mixing on medium speed between additions and scraping the bowl as needed. Whisk just until no streaks of flour remain and the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until golden brown on top and a cake tester or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until slightly warm, about 15 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, butter, salt and 3 tablespoons water. Warm over medium-low heat, whisking gently, until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm if needed.

Use a toothpick to poke small holes throughout the cake. Slowly pour all of the glaze evenly over the surface. It will pool on top; give it a few minutes to allow it to soak completely into the cake. Cut into large or small pieces to serve warm. The pudding will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Reheat by microwaving until warm, 10 to 15 seconds.

Tips:

At his restaurant, Eric Adjepong serves malva pudding with sliced pickled apricots and homemade vanilla gelato. If you’d like to make the apricots, bring 2/3 cup rice vinegar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 small cinnamon stick, 2 allspice berries and 2 bay leaves to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over 8 ounces of dried or dehydrated apricots in a pint jar or container, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 weeks.

Total time: 1 hour, serves 8-16.

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