Citrus Malva Pudding and Brandy Custard

A staple on any South African menu, malva is served warm and feels like a smile on the inside. We added brandy to the custard to take it up a notch and torched the peaches to create a ‘braai’ effect that emulates Karoo food culture.

For the malva pudding:

2 cups flour
2T bicarbonate of soda
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2T apricot jam
2T white vinegar
2T melted butter
1 ½ cups milk
zest and juice of 2 oranges

For the malva sauce:

1 cup cream
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
½ cup boiling water
½ cup orange juice
1 cup butter

For the brandy custard:

2¼ cups milk
¾ cup cream
4 egg yolks
½ cup castor sugar
2t cornflour
¼ cup brandy
1t vanilla essence
To serve
3 peaches halved, pips removed
2t sugar

1. For the pudding, preheat the oven to 180°C. Generously butter a Bundt tin.
2. Sift the flour and bicarb into a bowl, then stir in the sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, add the eggs, jam, vinegar, melted butter and milk, and beat thoroughly.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and beat until well combined. Pour into the prepared tin.
5. Cover the tin with greased foil and bake for 45 minutes until well risen and brown.
6. About 15 minutes before the pudding is ready, make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a pot over low heat. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer for about 3 minutes until it’s all combined.
7. Remove the malva from the oven and prick holes all over using a skewer. Pour the sauce over the entire pudding.
8. For the brandy custard, heat the milk and cream together in a small pot until it’s simmering gently, then turn off the heat.
9. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together until creamy.
10 Gradually whisk it into the milk mixture. Return to the stove and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
11 Stir in the brandy and vanilla essence and then pour the custard into a jug and cover the surface with cling wrap.
12 Sprinkle sugar onto the peach halves and caramelise using a blow torch, or under a hot grill for about a minute. Serve the malva in a bowl topped with custard and peaches.

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