How to make good old fashioned South African asynpoeding

Dying for a taste of home? If you teach your new friends and colleagues anything about your previous home country when you arrive on foreign shores, let it be a tasty South African dessert recipe. Let it be a good old fashioned South African Asynpoeding resep! Something that’s particularly interesting about Asynpoeding, which translates to “Vinegar Pudding” in English, is that its origins are largely unknown. All we know is that it’s a staple in the Afrikaans South African community and anybody who sinks their teeth into a hefty hunk of it absolutely loves it. And in case you were wondering, a “hefty hunk” is really the only serving size for this delectable treat! Whether you have had Asynpoeding in the past or not, we are confident that you will savour every bite.

For some people, the idea of a vinegar pudding is enough to make them wrinkle their nose, but the reality is that the name doesn’t do the pudding justice at all. After all, South Africans are known for their inner sweet-tooth and most people assume that vinegar is quite tart or sour. Here’s where things get interesting; the vinegar used to make the syrup and it manages to achieve such a delicate sweet and sour balance that even the most discerning palate will be hankering for “more please!” and even more after that! This is not an over-exaggeration…Asynpoeding is the pure definition of more-ish!

 

Easy asynpoeding recipe

There’s nothing complicated about making Asynpoeding. In fact, the ingredients consist of all the staples of most Afrikaans sweet treats and desserts. This is precisely why it’s the perfect dessert or pudding to present to your new social group, or to whip up as comfort food when you’re missing the tastes of home – it’s just that easy to make. Without much further ado, let’s jump right in to one of our favourite South African recipes. This Asynpoeding recipe serves 4 to 6 people. Make extra as everyone is sure to want seconds!

 

What you need for the batter:

• 15g of butter (or vegan marge)
• 75g (or 6 tablespoons) of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of apricot jam
• 1 beaten egg (or 3 tablespoons of aquafaba)
• 25ml of cow’s milk (or plant based milk)
• 80g of plain flour
• 2ml of baking soda
• 1ml ground nutmeg
• 1ml of salt
• 5ml ground ginger

 

What you need for the syrup:

• 250ml of boiling water
• 150g of sugar
• 5 tablespoons of white vinegar

 

How to make the asynpoeding syrup:

Follow these simple steps to whip the ingredients up together and end up with a delicious vinegar pudding syrup.

• First and foremost, pre-heat the oven to the correct temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.
• Start by making the syrup in a saucepan. You do this by heating the vinegar over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the boiling water and sugar and allow it to simmer.
• Slow the mixture slowly until you are confident that all of the sugar has dissolved.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the temperature slightly and allow it to boil rapidly for just a minute. Then, remote the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool.

 

How to make the batter cake:

The main event is undoubtedly making the batter cake for the vinegar pudding. Here’s what to do:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.
• When the mixture is creamy, stir in the beaten egg (or aquafaba), and the apricot jam. Mix this very well.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and ginger together.
• Add the dry ingredients and the milk to the creamed mixture by stirring small portions of each at a time, into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
• Grease an ovenproof dish and then spoon the batter mixture into it. Make sure that you only fill the dish to the half-way point. If you fill it any more, the syrup will overflow during baking.
• Now, you need to pour the syrup over the batter. It will seem as if there is far too much syrup, but don’t worry as everything is correct. During baking, the syrup will sink beneath the cake and there will be thick syrup to spoon over each piece of Asynpoeding when you are serving it. This is why many people call Asynpoeding a “self-saucing” pudding.
• Pop the dish into the oven and bake for around 40 minutes. You can check if it is ready by poking a skewer into the cake and seeing if it comes out clean.

Most people serve Asynpoeding with hot custard or with whipped cream. Some even enjoy it with a scoop of soft vanilla or cashew nut ice-cream. How you enjoy it is up to you!

Something to note is that you can use just about any type of white vinegar for this recipe. It will taste great even if you use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Avoid using dark vinegars as these will alter the actual flavour of the pudding.

 

Finglobal has the recipe for good old fashioned great South African service

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