Some dishes from different cultures can be difficult to adjust to especially since American taste buds aren’t used to the array of spices, herbs and real foods used in these dishes. We know about salt and pepper, but sometimes that’s where it ends. The seasonings and flavors of processed foods are chemically produced – so our tongues and taste buds aren’t quite sure how to handle the culinary tastes like cumin, tarragon, coconut cream – just to name a few.

When I came across this African dessert, it sounded too good to be true. I knew I could easily try it and not be turned off by tastes I wasn’t accustomed to. What is this rich and delicious dessert?

Malva Pudding is a sweet pudding of Dutch origin, usually served hot with custard or ice-cream. To me it’s more like a dense sponge cake – nothing resembling what you would typically think of as pudding. At least not in America. I came across this recipe about 20 years ago – and it truly is amazing. It is absolutely possible to use real food / whole food / healthy ingredients for this special treat. Due to the already dense nature of this recipe, I have never tried substituting the granulated sugar with raw honey. The organic cane sugar will give it a lighter taste – but you could definitely use coconut sugar, palm sugar or sucanat. Just be prepared for a richer taste. Use real butter (from grass-fed cows is best option), real heavy cream (organic and from grass-fed cows), organic whole milk (from grass-fed cows, non-homogenized is best), good flour (sprouted is healthiest) and eggs from pasture-raised hens. When you make it the right way – you won’t feel guilty indulging in this special treat and you’ll be able to enjoy every last bite!

Malva Pudding

What You Need:

– 3/4 cup organic cane sugar

– 2 large organic eggs from pasture-raised hens

– 1 tablespoon organic apricot or peach preserves

– 5 ounces of whole grain flour (sprouted is best) (1 oz = 4 tablespoons)

– 1 teaspoon baking soda – aluminum free

– 1/2 teaspoon kosher sea salt

– 1 generous tablespoon real butter (do not use butter substitutes)

– 1 teaspoon white vinegar

– 1/3 cup organic whole milk

Sauce Ingredients:

– 3/4 cup organic heavy whipping cream

– 3 1/2 ounces of real butter

– 5 ounces of organic cane sugar

– 1/3 cup hot water, spring or filtered

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Beat or whip the sugar and eggs until it’s thick and lemon colored. You can use a food processor for this step.
3. Add the apricot preserves and mix thoroughly until you have a creamy consistency.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, soda and salt.
5. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the vinegar and milk and stir until combined. Remove from heat.
6. Add the butter/vinegar/milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Fold in the egg/sugar/preserves mixture.
8. Pour into an oven proof dish (8 x 8 square, or 8” – 9” pie pan) and bake for 45-50 minutes. 
9. In a pot, melt all the ingredients for the sauce. 
10. Halfway through the baking time, take the dish out of the oven. Make holes in the cake with a fork or a bamboo skewer and pour the entire amount of the sauce over the pudding. 
11. Return to oven and finish baking. 
12. Serve with ice cream, custard or by itself!
13. Enjoy!

I seriously think you’ll enjoy this. It is definitely a decadent dessert and should be enjoyed as such. Enjoy this dish with it’s African origin and learn to embrace new tastes, different textures and rich deliciousness!

xo Kari

“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices:  take it or leave it.” 

~Buddy Hackett