Malva Pudding, South African Baked Dessert

This is more delicious than the sum of its parts! It's a real traditional oldie. RETESTED ON 22 Oct 07: After reading the reviews, I have just made this again. I cut down a little on the sugar in the sauce (it was 5 oz originally), but it should actually be a sweet pudding!! The sauce was quite enough to moisten the entire pudding -- it should not be dripping with sauce, as you can see in the photographs. Do not serve immediately, but let it stand, keeping warm, to give the sauce a chance to soak in properly. Real cold-weather comfort food. It's rich, so a little goes a long way, and this pudding yields up to 6 servings. This winter you must try this!

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• The pudding

• 6 1⁄2 ounces sugar (3/4 cup, 200 ml, or 180 g)
• 2  large eggs
• 1  tablespoon  apricot jam
• 5  ounces all-purpose flour (150 g)
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  tablespoon butter (a generous tablespoon)
• 1  teaspoon vinegar
• 1⁄3 cup milk

• For the sauce

• 3⁄4 cup  fresh cream (200 ml)
• 3 1⁄2 ounces butter (100 g)
• 3 -5  ounces sugar (90 - 150 g)
• 1⁄3 cup hot water (90 ml)
• 2  teaspoons vanilla essence

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius. (NOTE: I find my convection/fan oven very hot. I baked the pudding at 170 deg C and had to turn it down to 160 deg C/325 deg F for fear the pudding might burn. You know your oven -- Adjust accordingly).
2. Grease an oven dish. I used a 7 x 7 x 1 1/2 inch Pyrex dish. (18 x 18 x 4 1/2 cm)
3. Beat or whip the sugar and eggs. It's quickest in a food processor, or use electric beaters. Beat until thick and lemon coloured, then add the jelly (jam) and mix through.
4. Melt the butter (don't boil) and add the butter and vinegar to the wet mixture.
5. Sieve, or simply mix together: the flour, soda and salt.
6. Add this mixture with the milk to the egg mixture in the processor or mixing bowl. Beat well.
7. Pour into an oven-proof dish and bake until pudding is brown and well-risen -- depending on your oven and oven dish this will be between 30 - 45 minutes. (Mine was done in 30 minutes this time).
8. In a pot, melt together the ingredients for the sauce, and stir well.
9. Pour it over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven.
10. Leave to stand awhile before serving. Serve warm. Because it's rich it does not really need enhancement, but if you want, serve with vanilla ice cream.