It’s not a malva pudding unless it oozes syrup, am I right? The thing is that – and I hate admitting this – I sometimes dread the idea of malva pudding because it’s often just too sweet. Sensitive readers, avert your eyes, because I’m messing with the malva. What if you didn’t have it with custard, and instead opted for an easy-breezy, unsweetened whipped cream? And instead of a tray bake, why not do individual portions that are just right. These little malva Bundt cakes turned out so beautifully, I was inspired to adorn them with pressed flowers (something the French call fleurs pressées) to elevate them to high tea status.
Malva Bundt Cakes with Whipped Cream and Fleurs Pressées
TIME: 1 ½ hours | MAKES: 10
for the malva bundt cakes
30 ml soft butter
200 g (250 ml) light brown sugar
2 eggs
280 g (500 ml) cake flour
10 ml bicarbonate of soda
190 ml milk
30 ml smooth apricot smooth
30 ml brown vinegar
for the sauce
1 x 380 g tin evaporated milk
250 ml warm water
300 g (375 ml) light brown sugar
30 ml butter
5 ml vanilla essence
1 x 250 ml whipping cream
for the malva bundt cakes
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Spray your mini Bundt tray (my dimensions were 34 x 26 cm) with edible food spray. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a flat beater. Mix and add the eggs one by one. Cream until light and fluffy. Sift the flour into the bowl and fold in with a spatula. Mix the bicarbonate of soda and milk together and add with the jam and vinegar to the butter mixture. Mix well with a balloon whisk, making sure there are no lumps. Spoon the mixture into the Bundt tray, place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. While the cakes are baking, make the sauce.
for the sauce
Place the evaporated milk, water and sugar in a saucepan. Place on the heat and stir until the sugar has melted. Bring to the boil, then take off the heat and add the butter and vanilla essence. Mix until the sugar has melted, then spoon the sauce over the cakes as soon as they come out of the oven. Careful when taking them out. Let them cool completely before piping the cream on top.
for the whipped cream
Place the box of whipping cream in the fridge overnight, taking it out just before you want to whip your cream. Give the box a good shake and pour into a bowl. Whip the cream until piping consistency. Spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe the cream on top of each cake and garnish with dried, edible flowers.
for the fleurs pressées
I dry my flowers in a microwave. By pressing your flowers in this way, you can have dried, ready-to-use flowers in just a few minutes. Cut the flower stem off as close to the bottom of the bloom as possible. Place a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate and lay the flowers on top. Lay another paper towel on top and weigh down the flowers with a microwave-safe dish. Set your microwave on the defrost setting. Then, microwave until your flowers are dry. Check on them every now and again. The time differs depending on how much moisture the flower holds.
Once the flowers are dry, use them right away, or place them between two pieces of wax paper and press down with a book to keep them flat until ready to use.