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Ready to taste a South African classic in muffin form? Try these Malva Pudding Muffins today and bring warmth to your table!
South African Malva Pudding Muffins are a delightful spin on the traditional Malva Pudding, a much-loved dessert with roots deeply embedded in South African heritage. Known for its rich, caramelized sweetness and soft, spongy texture, Malva Pudding has long been a favorite in homes and celebrations.

The dessert’s name is believed to originate from the Afrikaans word “malvalekker,” meaning marshmallow, due to its soft, comforting texture. Over time, this beloved pudding has taken on many forms, with the muffin adaptation offering a convenient, portable version while preserving all the indulgent flavors that make Malva Pudding so irresistible. It’s a treat that stirs nostalgia and affection, bringing a taste of South African warmth and love to every bite.


Malva Pudding Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: South African
Description
A muffin with the soul of a classic South African dessert/pudding. Ready to indulge?
Ingredients
For the Malva Muffins
- 270g (1 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) packed Demerara Sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 30g (1 1/2) Tbsp apricot jam
- 30 ml (2 Tbsp) butter
- 7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) vinegar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) – milk
- 225g (1 cup) flour
- 7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) baking soda
- 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
For the Sauce
- 250ml (1 cup) cream or if you prefer you can also use Ideal Milk (less rich)
- 150g (1/2 cup) butter
- 100g (1/2 cup) packed brown sugar or white will work as well
- 62ml (1/4 cup) hot water
- 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla paste or vanilla extract if you do not have paste.
Instructions
For the Malva Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and grease the wells of the muffin pan well. I used regular spray and cook, but use whatever you prefer.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy, then add the apricot jam.
- Melt the butter and beat into the mixture along with the vinegar and milk.
- Sieve the dry ingredients and fold into the wet mixture until well incorporated.
- Divide the malva muffin mixture into 8 portions (½ cup) and fill the muffin holes, leaving space for the sauce.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown, depending on your oven.
For the Sauce
Notes
Created, Prepared, tried, and tested by Esme Slabs from SA Tasty Recipes – Saffas Daily Recipes and EsmeSalon Homemade Recipes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 535
- Sugar: 48 g
- Sodium: 442.4 mg
- Fat: 25.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 15.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 70.7 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
- Cholesterol: 136 mg
Products we love and used in this recipe, available from Amazon



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This looks like such a delicious treat. I would not have thought to consider making these.
#linkyparty #SeniorSalonPitStop #BloggersConnecting
Thanks for popping in Crystal. We love this SA treat and the single portions does make it superb for us.
I had to see what a Malva was….I really want to make these! Sounds fab!
Thanks for checking it out Lydia. Hope you will have fun making it and enjoy it. Please come back and let me know what you think of it please and thank you.
Sounds interesting and yummy! Thank you for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #50 linkup. Have a great week! We hope to see you at #51 with more posts to share (old or new), which opens next Monday morning.
Hope you will give these Malva Pudding Muffins a try, we adore the small single servings. It’s perfect
I got hungry just by looking at these; they look so mouthwatering!
Thanks Mariama. It’s a truly delicious treat. Hope you will try it out.
A new recipe to try. Thanks for sharing at Love Your Creativity.
Thank you Linda for popping in and I hope you will try this and above all enjoy it. Be warned, it’s addictive, so delicious you may not stop at one. Enjoy it
Esme, this dessert sounds delicious! I don’t believe I’ve had this before, but I’m always up for trying new recipes. I’ll have to make this soon. Thank you for sharing at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #62.
Thanks Steph. Hope you will give it a try. We love it and it’s so good and the single serving (small potions) are perfect. Enjoy.
This sounds really delicious.I love the flavors
Thank you Judee It’s a SA favorite which I made in muffin format as the single serving is so cute and everyone loved it. Hope you will try it out.