Malva pudding (oven or kettle braai)

Name: Malva pudding (oven or kettle braai)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar; 2 eggs; 1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam (or peach or apricot preserves pushed through a sieve); 175 g (1 1/4 cups) cake flour or plain flour; 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; A pinch of salt; 250 ml (1 cup) milk; 1 tablespoon white or malt vinegar; 30 g (2 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus extra for the dish; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional; 250 ml (1 cup) cream (or evaporated milk); 100 g (1/2 cup) butter; 110 g (1/2 cup) sugar; 60 ml (1/4 cup) hot water; 3 tablespoons sherry or brandy, optional; Custard, cream or vanilla ice cream

A light apricot-jam sponge baked in the oven or a closed kettle braai, then soaked while hot with a butter and cream sauce.

Coals: Medium coals
Prep: 20 min
On the fire: 45 min
Plan ahead: 10 minutes soaking before serving
Serves: 8

Ingredients

Batter

220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam (or peach or apricot preserves pushed through a sieve)
175 g (1 1/4 cups) cake flour or plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
250 ml (1 cup) milk
1 tablespoon white or malt vinegar
30 g (2 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus extra for the dish
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Sauce

250 ml (1 cup) cream (or evaporated milk)
100 g (1/2 cup) butter
110 g (1/2 cup) sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) hot water
3 tablespoons sherry or brandy, optional

To serve

Custard, cream or vanilla ice cream

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F), or set up a kettle braai for indirect cooking with 20 to 25 briquettes on each side and the lid on, aiming for 180°C (350°F) on the lid thermometer. Butter a 2 litre (9 inch square) ovenproof dish.
Beat the sugar, eggs and jam together for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and thick.
Stir the milk, vinegar, melted butter and vanilla together in a jug. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl.
Fold the dry and wet mixtures into the egg mixture in turns, a third at a time, until you have a smooth, pourable batter. Pour it into the dish.
Cover the dish loosely with buttered foil. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
On the kettle, put the dish on the grid between the two piles of coals, with the lid vent over the dish. Close the lid and cook for 40 to 45 minutes without opening it for the first 30.
While the pudding bakes, heat the cream, butter, sugar, water and sherry in a small pot until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Keep it just under the boil.
Take the pudding out as soon as it is done. Prick it all over with a skewer and pour the hot sauce over it slowly, letting each pour sink in.
Leave it to stand for 10 minutes, then serve warm with custard, cream or ice cream.

Done when: the top is golden and springs back when pressed, the centre is just firm, a skewer comes out clean, and after the sauce goes on the sponge has drunk nearly all of it.

Tips

The sauce must go on while the pudding is hot. A cold sponge will not absorb it.
On the kettle, a dark top with a raw centre means the fire is too hot. Push the coals further out to the sides or close the bottom vent halfway.
The vinegar and bicarbonate of soda react to lift the batter. Do not leave either one out.
It reheats well, covered, in a low oven or at the edge of the kettle. Make it in the morning and warm it while the meat rests.

Malva pudding is Cape Dutch in origin. A boiled pudding under the same name appears in a South African cookbook from 1924, before the baked apricot-jam version took over. Nobody has settled where the name comes from: the Afrikaans word malvalekker for marshmallow, the scented geranium called malva, and Malvasia wine in the sauce have all been suggested.

It is the dessert of Heritage Day and Christmas lunch, and it bakes well in a closed kettle while the fire is still warm. See setting up a kettle braai for the indirect setup.