By Genevieve Ko
The New York Times
Eating malva pudding for the first time feels like meeting a soul mate, its swirl of butter and sugar instantly familiar to the deep heart’s core, its softness, somehow simultaneously fluffy and dense, thrilling and intimate. With each bite of the cream-soaked cake, there’s a sense of wonder: I already know you so well, have we met before?
And maybe you have — lucky you! In which case, each reunion must be pure joy. Or maybe malva pudding reminds you of the tacky chew of sticky toffee pudding or the milky sponge of tres leches. But why spend time trying to track down connections when those minutes are better spent getting this easy, fast dessert into the oven and eating it warm from the pan?
Malva pudding originated in South Africa and is beloved there and throughout its diaspora, but its creation remains a mystery. The lack of concrete facts about its history seems less important than the dessert’s strong foundation: tender cake seasoned with apricot jam and drenched in buttery sweetened cream. Those fundamentals remain intact as cooks around the world make and remake it. Chef Eric Adjepong initially tasted malva pudding at Madiba in Harlem, during its incarnation as a South African restaurant, and it instantly became his favorite dessert of all time. “It just blew my mind,” he said. “It is divine.”
He composed a version for his restaurant, Elmina in Washington, D.C., and for his new cookbook, “Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past,” written with Korsha Wilson, who contributes to The New York Times. Even as Adjepong has gained national recognition through his appearances on “Top Chef” and his hosting of Food Network shows, he continues to perfect recipes in the kitchen.
Adjepong is a savory chef, but he enjoys creating sweets, particularly because he started cooking by baking cakes in his family home. After trying Madiba’s malva pudding, he ordered it any time he saw it on menus, whether at restaurants in New York City or patisseries in Ghana while visiting extended family. He also researched and studied other recipes before approaching his version with “a savory mindset” and highlighting his favorite parts of the classic.
“I love the density, the complexity, the chew, the sort of crème anglaise that goes along with it,” he said. “It’s so good, with the perfect amount of sweetness.”
To achieve his desired texture, he baked the simple cake longer than most other versions. The milky batter, leavened with eggs, baking powder and a combination of baking soda and vinegar to activate it, is thoroughly beaten with an electric mixer to maximize its lightness. Overbaking the lean blend — it has only a tablespoon of butter — allows the browned cake to soak up more of the warm cream that’s poured on top after a short rest and yields a cakey pudding that’s fluffier and denser than most.
One hallmark of malva pudding is a dollop of apricot jam used to sweeten the batter. At his restaurant, Adjepong bolsters the fruit’s tang by pickling dehydrated apricots in a spiced vinegar and serving those alongside the pudding-cake and some vanilla gelato. Recently, two South African women dining at Elmina told Adjepong how much they loved his malva pudding.
Hearing that approval from diners who know this dessert so intimately? “That’s a big sigh of relief there,” he said.
Malva Pudding
In his cookbook “Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past” (Clarkson Potter, 2025), chef Eric Adjepong calls this his “favorite dessert of all time” — tender sponge cake seasoned with apricot jam and drenched in buttery sweetened cream. It comes together quickly and easily, and tastes best served warm, making it the ideal way to end a party with friends.
Makes 8 to 16 servings (one 8-inch cake)
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
Butter or nonstick baking spray, for the pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons/125 grams all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup/150 grams sugar
3/4 cup/175 grams whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the glaze:
2/3 cup/160 grams heavy cream
2/3 cup/130 grams sugar
6 tablespoons/85 grams cold unsalted butter, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
Pickled apricots and vanilla gelato or ice cream, for serving (optional; see Tip)
DIRECTIONS
1: Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with butter or nonstick baking spray.
2: In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
3: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl if using an electric handheld mixer, beat the sugar, milk, eggs and salt on medium speed until pourable and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, jam and vinegar, and whisk on high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds.
4: Add the flour mixture in thirds, mixing on medium speed between additions and scraping the bowl as needed. Whisk just until no streaks of flour remain and the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5: Bake until golden brown on top and a cake tester or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until slightly warm, about 15 minutes.
6: While the cake is cooling, make the glaze: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, butter, salt and 3 tablespoons water. Warm over medium-low heat, whisking gently, until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm if needed.
7: Use a toothpick to poke small holes throughout the cake. Slowly pour all of the glaze evenly over the surface. It will pool on top; give it a few minutes to allow it to soak completely into the cake. Cut into large or small pieces to serve warm. The pudding will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Reheat by microwaving until warm, 10 to 15 seconds.
Tips:
At his restaurant, Eric Adjepong serves malva pudding with sliced pickled apricots and homemade vanilla gelato. If you’d like to make the apricots, bring 2/3 cup rice vinegar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 small cinnamon stick, 2 allspice berries and 2 bay leaves to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over 8 ounces of dried or dehydrated apricots in a pint jar or container, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 weeks.
Recipe from Eric Adjepong, adapted by Genevieve Ko.
