African Malva Pudding

195. In my Girl's Club Class we are learning about the Continent of Africa and the people. Tonight is the last lesson and I wanted the third, fourth and fifth grade girls to taste something African. I found a recipe for Malva Pudding. Since I had all the ingredients, I went to work.

The recipe instructs you to pour the batter into an oblong pan or baking dish, most likely a 9x13 size. But, because I am serving it to about 18 girls, I decided to make individual Malva Pudding sizes. I used small snowman muffin paper cups so each girl can have an exact serving.

South African Malva Pudding

Suid-Afrikaanse Malva Poeding

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup self rising flour, or all purpose flour adding 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons apricot jam

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

Dissolve baking soda in the milk. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and sugar. Add the milk mixture, eggs, jam and melted butter and blend well.

Pour into a prepared oval baking pan and bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

While baking begin to prepare topping. Place all in a saucepan and bring to a light boil. Be careful not to scorch the cream. Turn down heat and stir till sugar dissolves.

Immediately after you remove the baking dish from the oven, poke the entire surface with a toothpick. While cake is still hot begin to ladle the topping mixture over the top. The liquid will seep down into the holes and moisten the entire cake creating a bread pudding effect.

Serve hot with extra topping in a small bowl to spoon over.

They baked beautifully and the house smells wonderful.

Each little cake absorbed the liquid quickly. Make sure you cover entire surface.

The texture is soft and wet and the flavor is sweet and rich. It also has somewhat of a bread pudding texture but the flavor is very different.

Would you like a bite?

I will be making African Red Rooibos tea for the girls to taste and each one will have a small Malva Pudding cake to taste. If you have never tried Red Rooibos tea, you must. Twinings carries this tea and you can find it in your local market. Years ago, I met a missionary who told of the Red Rooibos bush. He would go out and pick the leaves in the morning and then lay them out in the sun till they dried. Then would make his tea from the leaves. The girls will love this story tonight!

You will be surprised at how delicious this pudding/cake is!

Africaans: "Delicious geniet" "Probeer asseblief om hierdie poeding"

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling,

but in rising every time we fall."

~Nelson Mandela

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear,

but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid,

but he who conquers that fear."

~Nelson Mandela