Caro Alberts's Malva Pudding and Milk Tart Trifle

Total Time: 3 hours

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 1 hour (for the pudding)

Servings: 4 people

Suitable For: Trifle fans looking for a flavour-packed twist

In celebration of Heritage Month in South Africa, food stylist and cooking show host Caro Alberts took one of our favourite local desserts – trifle – and put malva and milk tart spin on the recipe.

Ingredients

FOR MALVA PUDDING:
You can also buy a medium ready-made pudding if you prefer.

1 tablespoon melted apricot jam
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup cake wheat flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Generous inch of salt
Syrup
1 cup pouring cream
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup boiling water

FOR MILK TART:

2½ cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons cake wheat flour
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Cinnamon for serving

FOR CINNAMON CARAMEL SAUCE:

1 cup sugar
1 cup warm cream
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar

FOR NAARTJIE COMPOTE:

5 naartjies
3 tablespoons sugar

FOR TOPPINGS:

1 cup whipping cream
½ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Instructions

MALVA PUDDING

Preheat the oven to 180°C or prep enough coals to last for a 40-minute bake.
In a bowl, mix the melted apricot jam, butter, milk, egg, sugar and lemon juice.
Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Spray a 20cm x 20cm ovenproof dish with greaseproof spray and pour the batter into the dish. Or prep a Megamaster No 10 Flat Pot by spraying it liberally with greaseproof spray.
Bake until golden brown (about 30-40 minutes).
If you are cooking over coals, it's best to bake on a little side fire. Make sure the coals are low to medium heat and thinly spread out, pop the pot onto a grid or triangle over the coals and pop a couple of coals onto the lid too. Don’t make it too hot – or too cold! Keep an eye on it and keep supplementing the coals if they die.
Meanwhile, make the syrup by simmering the ingredients together for 5 minutes.
As soon as the pudding comes out the oven, pour the syrup over. If there is too much and it wants to run over the sides, wait a little so it can be absorbed by the pudding, then add the rest.

MILK TART

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until it reaches boiling point.
Whisk the egg, cornflour, cake flour, sugar and salt together.
Turn the milk's heat down and then whisk in the egg mixture.
Continue whisking until the milk tart mixture thickens and all the flour is cooked out. It takes about 5 minutes.
Don’t stop stirring, and keep the heat on low.
Add the butter and vanilla essence.

CINNAMON CARAMEL SAUCE

Melt the sugar slowly until it caramelises, swirling it as you go.
As soon as it's a lovely caramel colour, add the warm cream. Be careful as it does tend to simmer straight up.
Leave to simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes or until all the sugar lumps have dissolved.
Season with salt and cinnamon.
Leave to cool.

NAARTJIE COMPOTE

Peel 4 of the naartjies and separate the segments. Sauté with 3 tablespoons sugar and juice of naartjie for 5 minutes (or until all the sugar is melted). Slice the last naartjie into 4 even slices and char on hot braai.

TO SERVE

Whip 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the trifle, start by dividing the naartjie compote between 4 glasses.
Add a 2cm layer of milk tart filling and dust with cinnamon.
Cut the malva pudding into 2cm x 2cm cubes (or something close to that; you can also just scoop it out).
Add a malva pudding layer and a sprinkle of hazelnuts.
Add a drizzle of caramel sauce (if using) and finish off with a generous dollop of cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon and hazelnuts, and a charred slice of naartjie.