Malva Pudding, South African Baked Dessert Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the national dessert of South Africa? ›

One popular South African dessert is malva pudding. It is composed of a spongy cake and a sweet sauce. So yummy!

Storing: Malva pudding freezes really well so don't be afraid to pop it in an airtight container and freezing it for up to 3 months. It will also last up to 4 days in the fridge (covered).

Sift in the self raising flour and salt, and give it a *quick beat to combine. *Be careful that you don't over-beat it as this will cause the Malva to sink slightly in the middle when baking!

The Malva Pudding

Possibly the most iconic South African dessert, malva pudding is served just about everywhere.

My favourite theory, and the most popular, is that Malva pudding was once flavoured with the leaves of geranium, which, in Afrikaans, translates to Malva. But some say it got its name from a woman called Malva. And others, that it was flavoured with Malvasia wine.

In fact there are three deserts on the continent - The Sahara, the Namib and the Kalahari. Together these three amazingly vast and diverse land masses cover a large portion of Africa.

It's a real traditional South African oldie. It's comfort food personified, as good as a hug from Mom herself (well, almost). Malva pudding is a sweet pudding of Cape Dutch origin.

Yes, no matter what kind of recipe you use it's a custard based, thus it's eggs and milk. Both of which need to be refrigerated.

How do you defrost malva pudding? ›

Best defrost practice: defrost in refrigerator overnight. Alternatively defrost at room temperature (20⁰C - 23⁰C) for 2 - 4 hours (Desserts) or 30 min (Gateaux slices). Keep defrosted; unused desserts covered in the refrigerator.

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, a fine white powder that has many uses. You may wonder about bicarbonate of soda vs. baking soda, but they are simply alternate terms for the same ingredient. If your recipe calls for bicarbonate of soda, it is simply referring to baking soda.

In South Africa, we refer to baking soda as bicarbonate of soda. Generally used as a raising agent, bicarbonate of soda can be added to batter to aerate the mix for a fluffy batter, or used in baking to help mixes to rise. When combined with an acidic agent, such as vinegar or lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda fizzes.

The ingredients for the pudding usually include flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, vinegar, and apricot jam. The pudding is baked in the oven and then soaked in a sweet syrup made from sugar, butter, and cream.

Bobotie is a South African dish that has Cape Malay origins. It consists of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. Of the many dishes common to South Africa, bobotie is perhaps closest to being the national dish, because it is not commonly found in any other country.

A Gatsby is a South African submarine sandwich consisting of a bread roll filled with chips (French fries) and a choice of fillings and sauces. It originated in Cape Town and is popular throughout the Western Cape province. The sandwich is typically large and shared by several people.

The Wayfarers, a sort of Guiding for native African girls began in 1926 after a visit to the colony by Olave Baden-Powell. In 1935 there were some 600 Wayfarers and 300 Sunbeams, the African equivalent of Brownies in Guiding.

The Delicacy Apple Pie - is the Official “National dessert of the United States of America” respectively. American Apple Pies are also sometimes considered the national dishes of the US.