Malvapoeding(a South African baked cake soaked with a custard-cream situation) is one of those desserts I make infrequently. Not because I don’t like it(they are soaked fluffy sponge cakes that are very addictive), but mostly because they take an infuriatingly long time to bake for such little cakes – most cupcake-type baked goods are done in 20-25 minutes tops, but these took a whopping 45 minutes to bake, because you really want to cook them to the point of almost dryness so that they can sponge up all of that delicious cream soak. That and I used peach puree in mine, and that added a lot to the baking time. What makes malvapoeding so unique is that it is a cake that absorbs seasoned cream, resulting in a tender, melt-in-the-mouth crumb. In the case of my recipe, I was trying to figure out what to do with the peach puree I made with ripe peaches during the summer, and I figured, why not make malvapoeding with that? So I used the puree in the batter, to impart a pleasant, floral peach flavor. And to compliment that, I used orange blossom water in the soak to create a very fragrant take on your typical!

Makes 12 malvapoeding cakes:
For the malvapoeding:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups peach puree
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons brown butter
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
3 eggs

In a bowl, whisk the ingredients together. Pour into cupcake molds, filling them 3/4 the way full, and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes. Soak in the soaking liquid to finish.

For the orange blossom soaking liquid:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2oz honey
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp orange blossom water
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a pot, bring everything to a simmer until the butter and honey are melted into the cream.