Pudding's a pleasure

Published Jul 20, 2017

Share

The best way to get you in the mood for a cold winter’s day, pudding.

Not the fancy recipes made by TV chefs, but your mother's recipes.

Such memories of running around in the kitchen and being scold at for going too close to the oven when desserts are being baked. 

It was almost always worth the whacks, to get that first whiff of a pudding finding its existence in the oven.

That was what made being inside on winter fun. 

Fast forward to adulthood and my first baking experience.

Everybody knows, trifle and Malva pudding has to be made from a family recipe, and you will get judged if you get even a little bit of the recipe wrong. 

This is the ultimate test of adulthood. 

One thing I have learnt is, you can’t be perfect all the time. The first chocolate cake I ever baked was the most beautiful thing and had an amazing texture.

It was perfect.

My first milk tart, was not even a milk tart. They called it a melk koek (milk cake). 

Ten years later, its still a fond memory. Did I get it right eventually? No, I buy my milk tarts now.

Recipe:  

Malva pudding 

(Fatima Sydow) 

 

Ingredients

1 large egg 

1 cup of sugar 

1 cup of cake flour 

1/2 a teaspoon baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tablespoon fine apricot jam

1 tablespoon of Vinegar 

1 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of soft butter

 

For sauce

 

1 cup of milk 

1/2 a cup of sugar 

3 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of vanilla essence

Method

In a bowl whisk with electric mixer your egg, sugar, jam, butter and vanilla essence for 2 minutes. Next add the vinegar with the milk and leave for a minute add this milk mixture and the sifted dry ingredients with the rest of the wet mix and whisk till well combined.

Pour in a square greased tin (not big pan) or glass proof baking dish, bake for 30-35 minutes at 180 degrees or when inserting a skewer it comes out clean, also the cake will be a dark brown colour .

While the cake is baking put all your sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the simmer and stir till hot - keep warm one side.

When your cake is done take out of oven and immediately pour over all the warm sauce- it will bubble and that's what you want- it will be a bit wet and that's how a malva pudding should be - a Pudding - not a dry cake .

Serve with custard or cream

To make a large pudding, simply double all ingredients, making sure to add more jam and vinegar, about an extra tablespoon of each .

 

Dig in: delicious pudding during these remaining cold weeks of winter

Picture: Fatima Sydow

Winter Trifle with Spiced Custard

 

Ingredients

500ml fresh vanilla custard 

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 

2 star anise 

5ml ground ginger 

5ml ground cinnamon 

60g butter

60ml honey 

2 red apples, peeled and sliced into thin rounds 

1 Sponge cake made in a 22cm tin and halved horizontally 

30ml Triple sec orange liqueur or Cointreau (orange liqueur) or any juice icing sugar for dusting

 

Method

Place the custard, vanilla bean and seeds, star anise, ginger and cinnamon in a pot on a low heat and stir for 2-3 minutes until warm. Remove the vanilla and star anise. Set aside and keep warm. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and honey and allow the butter to melted. Add the apple slices and sauté gently over medium heat for another 5 minutes each side until tender. To assemble, place a round of cake on a platter. Spoon or brush the orange liqueur over the cake, top with the apples and some of the custard. Top with the remaining cake. Dust with icing sugar and pour over remaining spiced custard to serve.  

 

Daily Voice

Related Topics: