Use my new ramekins from. Kitchen Conservatory to try making pudding cakes. I saw a recipe for lemon pudding cake in a magazine at the grocery store and knew I wanted to try making it for my mom. I'm not a huge fan of lemony desserts, but she is. She also loves powdered sugar on top of about anything, so I think she's going to love this. Makes three 3-oz servings.
Materials
2 teaspoon butter, melted
1 2/3 tablespoons flour
pinch baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup sugar (extra fine if you have it), divided
1 3/4 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
Zest of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons whole milk
powdered sugar, for dusting
Methods
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease three 3.5 oz ramekins and place in a 8x8 inch baking dish. Bring about 2 cups of water to boil and keep warm.
2. In a large measuring cup, whisk egg yolk with 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of sugar until smooth and pale in color. Whisk in melted butter, lemon juice and zest, milk, baking powder, salt and flour. Place in refrigerator (can make in advance, but be sure to stir well before using).
3. In a small bowl, beat egg white with 2 teaspoons sugar using an electric mixer on medium-low speed. Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks (about 5 minutes). Fold the egg whites into the refrigerated mixture.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between ramekins. Pour the hot water into the baking dish until it comes half way up the outside of the ramekins. Bake 30-40 minutes or until the cakes are domed and golden.
5. Dust with powdered sugar and cool slightly before serving (5-10 minutes).
Results
The cake is light and fluffy and the pudding on the bottom is creamy. The flavor is lemony yet sweet.
Discussion
These are delicious! Lemon isn't my favorite flavor and I still found it enjoyable. I was concerned that these wouldn't be good left over. However, I thought they were just as good cold the next day as they were warm from the oven. Next time I might try stirring in some fresh raspberries to give the dessert color and additional flavors. Blueberries might also be a nice touch.
This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve 6. The original recipe was for eight 6-oz servings. For a dessert, 3-oz is more appropriate that 6-oz. The larger recipe (3x all of the ingredients) can be made in an 8x8" pan instead of ramekins. The ramekins aren't required but certainly add to the aesthetic appeal.
Supplementary Materials
