Malva Pudding

Ingredients

• 200g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp smooth apricot jam
• 125g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 125ml whole milk
• 200ml double cream
• 100g unsalted butter for the sauce
• 100g caster sugar for the sauce
• 80ml hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Vanilla ice cream or custard, to serve

Before you cook

• Heat the oven to 180C.
• Grease a 20cm square baking dish generously with butter.
• Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together into a bowl.
• Take the eggs and milk out of the fridge so they come to room temperature.

Steps

1. Beat the 200g sugar and the eggs with an electric whisk for 4 minutes until pale, thick and roughly doubled in volume.
2. Beat in the apricot jam until it is fully combined.
3. Whisk the melted tablespoon of butter, the vinegar and the milk together in a jug.
4. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture, and fold gently after each.
5. Pour the batter into the greased dish and level the top.
6. Bake for 35 minutes until the top is deep brown and a skewer comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
7. Put the cream, 100g butter, 100g sugar, hot water and vanilla into a saucepan.
8. Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, then bring it just to the boil.
9. Take the pudding out of the oven and immediately prick it all over with a skewer, going right to the base.
10. Pour the hot sauce slowly over the hot pudding a ladle at a time, letting each addition soak in before the next.
11. Leave the pudding to stand for 15 minutes so it drinks up all the sauce.
12. Spoon it out warm with cold ice cream or custard.