Gingerbread Pudding

A slight twist on the traditional Malva Pudding to add all the festive feels.

Malva pudding is a staple at any dessert table, and I have made it a tad bit more festive by converting it into a gingerbread pudding. For those who are not familiar, malva pudding, it is a sweet caramel like sponge doused in a rich, buttery caramel sauce. My original recipe can be found here.

It is summer here in Cape Town, so warm desserts are not always at the top of the list. This gingerbread pudding has some warmth with the spices, but is balanced out perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

To make it even more impressive, I baked it in a bundt tin, which adds such a wow factor to the presentation. It will definitely leave your guests coming back for second helpings.

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WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT MAKING THIS RECIPE?

• Malva puddings are not typically baked in a bundt tin, why change that? I feel that baking it in a bundt tin makes it more festive. It also allows me to control the amount of soaking sauce into the pudding, so it does not become too soaked. I can then serve the remaining sauce on the side.
• Also, I hate bundt tins because they always stick! Preparing a bundt tin is very important. Firstly, brush liberally with melted butter, getting it into all the corners especially. Then dust well with cocoa powder, until the entire tin is coated. Flip the tin over and tap out the excess cocoa powder. Set in the fridge for 5 minutes to set the cocoa.
• I cannot find molasses anywhere? Substitute this with an extra Tablespooon of sugar, though some of the treacly taste of the pudding will be lost.
• I do not want to use alcohol in the recipe, substitute? Substitute out the alcohol, in the sauce, with water.
• Are there any differences in baking in it in a bundt tin vs 20cm baking dish? Yes, there is! The bake times and the oven temperature vary. To begin, the recipe given below is for a 20cm baking dish. If you want to bake it in a bundt tin like I have done, double the recipe. For a bundt tin, bake it for 40 minutes at 170 degrees Celcius.

GINGERBREAD PUDDING

Important: This recipe is suitable for a 20cm square tin. To make the bundt tin as shown in the recipe above, double the recipe, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees celcius and bake for 40 – 45 minutes.

• 200g brown sugar (one cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 Tbs golden syrup
• 1 Tbs molasses
• 30g butter, room temperature (two tablespoons)
• 120g cake flour (one cup)
• 1 Tbs cocoa
• 1 Tbs ginger powder
• 1 tsp all spice
• 125ml full cream milk (half a cup)
• 1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tablespoon white spirit vinegar

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grease a 20cm square baking dish with some cooking spray and set aside. You want a fairly high dish so that the syrup has enough volume to be poured into. I have tested this in a 5 cup bundt tin as well and it works wonderfully, with it being fully soaked through. To make it in a 10 – 12 cup bundt tin, double the recipe and reduce the temperature to 160 degrees celcius.
2. Beat the sugar, vanilla and eggs until pale and voluminous- approximately 5 minutes.
3. Then add in the golden syrup, molasses and melted butter, beat to incorporate.
4. Add the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to the milk and stir. The mixture will tend to become frothy.
5. Add the flour, cocoa, ground ginger and mixed spice and milk mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and mix to combine.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the pudding comes out clean. (The pudding does darken a fair bit due to the apricot jam’s high sugar content. If you do feel it is getting past a very deep brown, it is best to cover it with some aluminum foil). If baking it in a 10 – 12 cup bundt tin, bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Whilst the pudding is baking, get on with making the sauce.

SAUCE

• 120g caster sugar (half a cup plus a tablespoon) **see notes above
• 125g butter (half a cup)
• 75ml water (quarter of a cup plus a tablespoon)
• 250ml whipping cream (one cup)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 30ml brandy

METHOD

1. When the malva pudding is at the halfway mark, place all the ingredients, except the brandy, in a medium size saucepan and heat on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil for 3 – 4 minutes then turn off. Add the brandy, if using.
2. When the pudding comes out of the oven, prick the pudding with a fork and pour over the sauce immediately. It is best to use the back of a spoon to break the pressure from the sauce damaging the soft sponge of the pudding.
3. If you are using a bundt tin, wait five minutes until you can loosen the pudding slightly. Then pour in half the sauce and let it seep in before flipping over, this could take about 2 minutes to soak through. Ladle the remaining syrup over the top of the bundt tin.
4. Serve the pudding whilst warm, with custard and/or ice cream.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com