Fabulous Puddings from Around the World Quiz

Answer: Germany

Known as 'Schwarzwälderkirschtorte' in its native tongue, Black Forest gateau was a favourite at British dinner parties in the 1970s. It traditionally contains kirschwasser (a spirit made from cherries), cream and black cherries, and is actually named for Schwarzwälderkirsch, the speciality liqueur of the Black Forest region. An Austrian variant uses rum. It's very rich, so be warned!

Answer: Spain

Not to be confused with the sweet pastry dessert of the same name, flan is the Spanish and Latin American equivalent of crème caramel. It is an egg custard pudding with a dark brown caramel sauce on top. The syrup has to be poured into the mould first, and then the egg custard bit is added on top and baked.

Many varieties of flan exist; I made a particularly delicious Ecuadorian coconut flan with orange caramel.

Answer: South Africa

Malva pudding is a sponge pudding made with apricot jam. Like many sponge puddings, it is usually served hot with cream or custard. It also contains vinegar, which gives it a slightly caramelised texture. The origins of its name are unclear; one suggestion is that it got its name from 'malvalekker', the Afrikaans word for marshmallow, while another claims it was named after a woman called Malva.

Answer: Japan

Mochi is a type of pounded sticky rice used in Japan to make cakes, dumplings and other foods eaten on special occasions in Japan. Mochi ice cream involves little balls of mochi filled with ice cream; flavours include chocolate, coconut, matcha/green tea or anko (sweet red bean paste). Both the ice cream and the mochi can be flavoured, and the mochi is coated with potato or cornstarch to stop it sticking.

A similar dessert is daifuku, a ball of mochi filled with anko.

Answer: India and Bangladesh

If you live in Manchester and you go to one of the many Indian restaurants on the Curry Mile, you'll often find ras malai on the dessert menu. Ras malai are balls of chana, or curd, soaked in malai, a type of clotted cream flavoured with cardamom. They are then boiled in sugar syrup and milk, and stuffed with pistachios, kheer (a type of rice pudding) and saffron.

Answer: United Kingdom

Summer pudding is a good way to use up stale bread. It is a British pudding made with berries, usually a mixture of raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and/or blackberries. Slices of bread are used to line a bowl, and the fruit is placed on top of the bread.

The juice of the berries soaks into the bread, turning it a lovely deep red colour, and when you turn the bowl upside-down, let the pudding out onto a plate and cut it open, the berries pour out.

Answer: Australia

A pavlova is a giant meringue cake, often filled with cream and fruit (my Australian auntie does a lovely one with kiwi fruit). Don't be fooled by the Russian name - it's actually an Australian pudding, and is also popular in New Zealand. It is named for the ballerina Anna Pavlova, and is thought to have been created as a tribute to her when she was touring Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.

Answer: Canada

Nanaimo bars get their name from the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada. They are a type of fridge cake, in that they are cooled in a fridge, rather than baking. Nanaimo bars contain three layers: a bottom biscuit layer which contains coconut, a middle layer consisting of custard-flavoured butter cream, and a top layer of chocolate icing or ganache. I once made a cappuccino variety, where the middle layer contained coffee.

Other varieties contain coconut icing, mint or peanut butter.

Answer: Costa Rica

Capirotada is similar to the British bread-and-butter pudding. While the Mexican variant contains dried fruits, nuts and piloncillo, a type of unrefined cane sugar (and sometimes meat!), the Costa Rican variant uses chocolate. Pieces of bread are coated in a mixture of melted chocolate, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and milk, and baked in the oven. It is serve with almonds scattered on top.

Answer: Iceland

It's a bit of an obscure one, this. Skúffukaka is an Icelandic cake which is similar to the American chocolate brownie. Its name means 'baking tray cake'. Unlike brownies, skúffukaka does not contain nuts; it is flavoured with cinnamon and/or coffee. It is topped with chocolate icing and desiccated coconut. Some recipes use Skyr, a type of Icelandic yogurt.