Celebrate Easter with a gorgeous and decadent dessert that will have everyone feeling the holiday spirit! Get ready for this Easter malva pudding.

SERVES 8–10 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 35 min

INGREDIENTS
For the malva pudding
3 cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
3 tbsp apricot jam
2½ tsp vinegar
2½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 cups milk
For the malva glaze
2 cups cream
⅔  cup butter
⅔  cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup chopped dark chocolate
For the chocolate sauce
½ cup cream
1 cup chopped dark chocolate
To decorate
Speckled eggs
Chocolate eggs
Vanilla ice cream

METHOD
For the malva pudding
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 20 cm Bundt tin.
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the jam and vinegar.
4. Dissolve the bicarb in the milk and mix this, alternating with the dry ingredients, into the wet ingredients. The batter should be thick and smooth.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50–55 minutes, until cooked through. Cool a bit, then turn it out on to a plate.
For the malva glaze
1. Add the cream, butter and sugar to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the vanilla.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour it over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth and incorporated.
3. Pour the glaze over the malva sponge, a little at a time, ensuring it’s absorbed before adding more. Once all the glaze is absorbed, place on a serving plate.
For the chocolate sauce
1. Add the cream to a pot over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Add in the chocolate and stir until smooth. Allow to cool completely and serve drizzled over the hot malva. Decorate.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Why not create a dessert table and add these adorable chocolate egg truffles to the spread?