MALVA PUDDING

Yields 9 portions

This South African dessert of Cape Dutch origin is a dense cake soaked in a delicious caramel sauce. It can vary with the additions of ginger, apricot jam, and sometimes brandy or dates. Malva, which is Afrikaans for “marshmallow,” describes the spongy texture and sweetness of this unique dessert. We bake our Malvas in a muffin tin for individual portions and serve them hot from the oven, with extra sauce drizzled on top and a spoonful of fresh whipped cream.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup whole milk

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup heavy cream

¾ cup packed brown sugar

Whipped cream, for serving

Spray 9 cups of a standard metal muffin tin with baking spray. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and set aside. In an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar until thickened and pale yellow. Mix the melted butter and vinegar together in a small bowl and add to the egg mixture. Add 1 tablespoon of the vanilla and ¼ cup of the milk to the mixture, whisking to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk to combine. Fill the prepared wells of the muffin tin three-quarters full and bake for 30 minutes.

While the cakes are in the oven, prepare the sauce. Combine the heavy cream, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, remaining ¼ cup milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisk, and remove from the heat.

Let the Malvas cool slightly, remove from the muffin tin, and place in a glass baking dish or another vessel able to comfortably hold them all, making sure the sides of the dish are tall enough to reach at least half the height of the cakes.

Using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over each Malva. While still hot, spoon sauce onto each pudding, going back multiple times until you’ve used all the sauce. Serve the Malvas warm with extra sauce from the bottom of the pan, spooned on top along with fresh whipped cream.