Malva Pudding With Chocolate – A decadent traditional South African dessert you just have to try! Rich, moist, chocolatey, and oh-so-easy!
Oh my, I can’t believe how fast Valentine’s Day, then Mother’s Day, then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas comes around. All then, all of a sudden, it’s New Year’s again. Sometimes, my life feels like a blur that flew from January straight to December.
Ooh, I’m always excited about the holidays because they’re an excuse to eat chocolate. While Valentine’s Day celebrates love one day a year, I feel it should be celebrated all year long. Don’t you agree?
Anyway, it’s all about chocolate for me. I can’t get enough of it, and it always makes me happy! For last Valentine’s Day, I gave three of my favorite African desserts a chocolate makeover. Now give me a thumbs up!!!
Why Chocolate Malva Pudding Works
My first pick was malva pudding. And if you haven’t tried this decadence, you don’t know what you’re missing. So what is malva pudding? It is a sweet pudding that hails from South Africa. Its caramelized exterior and spongy interior make it unique. Then, serve it soaked in a warm butter sauce and topped with homemade whipped cream or ice cream for pure heaven.
Instead of drenching this cake with plain warm butter sauce, I added chocolate for even more decadence.
While I absolutely adore the taste and texture, its ease makes it even better. With a few simple ingredients coupled with an easy chocolate sauce, you’ll be ready to dig in.
Enjoy!
What You Need
- Eggs – Like most puddings, this one enjoys the creamy texture eggs are famous for.
- Butter – Room temperature unsalted butter delivers incredible moisture and mouthfeel.
- Flavor – Orange zest (perfect pairing for chocolate), apricot jam, and sugar give it a delicious fruity flavor and sweetness.
- Liquid – Vinegar and milk provide a balancing acidity and more moisture.
- Dry – All-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt are all you need to bring it together.
- Chocolate Sauce – Evaporated milk, brown sugar, butter, chocolate (milk or semi-sweet), almond extract, and vanilla extract create a delectable sauce to soak into the malva pudding.
How to Make Chocolate Malva Pudding
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Moisture – In a large bowl, beat eggs, orange zest, sugar, butter, and apricot jam until light and fluffy. Then mix in the vinegar and milk. (Photos 1-3)
- Base – Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into another bowl.
- Combine – Gradually fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. It’s okay if the mixture is a little runny. (Photo 4)
- Bake – Pour batter into the greased cake pan. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (Photo 5)
- Make Sauce – While the cake is baking, mix the evaporated milk, chocolate, butter, sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Then heat over medium until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Remove from heat.
- Poke several holes in the pudding cake from top to bottom with a wooden chopstick or skewer. (Photo 6)
- Drench – Pour the chocolate butter sauce on the cake and let it soak in for a few minutes.
- Serve immediately while still warm, or chill it in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Serving
- Grease the pan generously to keep the pudding from sticking.
- Pour the chocolate butter sauce over the cake slowly so it can absorb evenly.
- Serve it warm or cold. That means you can make it 2-3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge or freeze it for 2-3 months. Thaw and serve or heat it gently in the microwave.
More Decadent African Sweets to Enjoy
Malva Chocolate Pudding
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Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons (3g) grated orange zest
- 4 tablespoons (80g) apricot jam
- 6½ ounces (185g) sugar (¾ cup)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vinegar
- ¾ cup (180ml) milk
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2-3g) salt
Chocolate Sauce
- 1 cup (240ml) evaporated milk
- ¼-⅓ cup (50-70g) brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces (60g) milk chocolate (or semisweet)
- ½ teaspoon (2-3ml) almond extract
- 1½ teaspoons (7-8ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, orange zest, sugar, butter, and apricot jam until light and fluffy. Then mix in the vinegar and milk.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into another bowl.
- Gradually fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. It's okay if the mixture is a little runny.
- Pour batter into the greased cake pan. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, mix the evaporated milk, chocolate, butter, sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Then heat over medium until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Remove from heat.
- Poke several holes in the pudding cake from top to bottom with a wooden chopstick or skewer.
- Pour the chocolate butter sauce on the cake and let it soak in for a few minutes.
- Serve immediately while still warm, or chill it in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Grease the pan generously to keep the pudding from sticking.
- Pour the chocolate butter sauce over the cake slowly so it can absorb evenly.
- Serve it warm or cold. That means you can make it 2-3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge or freeze it for 2-3 months. Thaw and serve or heat it gently in the microwave.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Akaila Powell says
Soooo good and I did the regular one without chocolate too both are amazing with fresh strawberries
T Fuller says
How can I make ahead? Wait until I’m taking to my dinner to pour the chocolate?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi there! You can bake the cake ahead of time (without pouring the chocolate sauce) and store in the fridge. Then when ready to serve, you can add the sauce on it.
Winnna says
Hi, can I substitute buttermilk instead of milk in this recipe? I have extra butter milk that I’d like to use.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you sure can.
Andy says
I made this for a book club dinner. We read the book Stay With Me, set in Nigeria. I tried to find Nigerian desserts but couldn’t so I made this one. It turned out exactly like the pictures. Everyone liked it. Thanks African bites!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us .
Lynn cirillo says
I am going to try this recipe but I’m not sure what type of vinegar to use and for the butter mixed with the evaporated milk, is that butter salted or unsalted ?
ImmaculateBites says
It’s unsalted and I used rice vinegar. Any would do just fine.
Lynn cirillo says
Thank you . Can’t wait to make it. Looks yummy !!
Christie says
This looks so good. I’d like to make this for an International Fair at my kids’ school, but I need to double the recipe. Advice for size of pan and cooking time for a doubled amount? Thanks very much.
ImmaculateBites says
The cooking time stays the same. I would use a 9×13 inch cake pan.
MaryJo says
Brother #3 made this for Brother #1’s birthday cake and it was fabulous! Everyone wanted the recipe. He said that he doubled the amount of the chocolate in the sauce. I will definitely make this for my friends and family.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome!! Thank brother #3 for making it. And thank you for taking the time to share this with me Maryjo.
Teresa says
I love Malva Pudding but never had with chocolate must be good. I will try this one with chocolate.
Kate says
This is great . easy to follow recipe. Mine didn’t come out like I thought it would but my family loved it. Next time I will bake for 40 minutes and poke larger holes.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi kate! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
the lady says
It seems you did not indicate at what stage do you add the semi-chocolate on your recipe
ImmaculateBites says
Recipe updated! Thanks
Megan Martin says
This recipe worked so well. My class enjoyed this very much.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Megan! Thanks for the feedback!
Dixie says
This looks and sound amazing. I wonder if you could use an all purpose flute free flour for it?
ImmaculateBites says
Dixie , Sorry , I have not tried this recipe with flute free flour so I cannot say with certainty that it would work.
Dixie says
Haha, well clearly that was supposed to read gluten free. I am going to try it this week.
Nagi@RecipeTin Eats says
Oooh, now THIS is a pudding with a difference! I love that! Plain chocolate pudding is not for me, too boring! 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Nagi, you are my kind of girl!!!!
Jehancancook says
Gah… This looks so decadent!! I’ve never heard of this but it reminds me of a sticky toffee pudding. Thanks for sharing.
ImmaculateBites says
Jehan, go grab a spoon!!!!
Charlene @ That Girl Cooks Healthy says
That picture of the spoon holding up the malva pudding is perfect. This recipe sounds delicious and very timely with valentines day right around the corner.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Charlene, how I love this season!!!
Lisa Johnson says
Not to sure about about of sugar and is it plain white sugar
Lisa Johnson says
Typo sorry but wanting to know what kind and how much sugar to use
Imma Adamu says
Here you go! 6 1/2 ounces of sugar / 3/4 cup
Imma Adamu says
Yes i do use plain white sugar, but you can definetely always substitute