Healthy Eating: Lemon Pudding Cakes

We have been having crazy spring weather! One moment it is warm and sunny…but wait a minute while the clouds roll in and the temperature drops. Sometimes this shift happens in less than an hour while I am out walking the dog! But, I celebrate all the flowers and green buds that are emerging especially when the sky is blue. My heirloom Camelia is bursting with pink flowers which makes me very happy (and grateful that this old specimen is still thriving.)

As Passover and Easter approach, my palate begins to think about fun foods for the holidays. As a dessert person I love to serve dishes with bright flavors, and lemon is at the top of the list. This Lemon Pudding Cake was first served to me by a good friend and has become a favorite. I have made it with gluten-free flour mixes for friends with allergies and it turns out perfectly.

Part pudding, part cake and part soufflé, this easy-to-make Lemon Pudding Cakes dessert feels like kitchen magic. One batter is poured into ramekins and emerges from the oven as two desserts: a creamy, soufflé-like cake sitting atop a layer of rich pudding. Using a food processor allows you to first blend the sugar and lemon zest to ensure maximum lemon flavor (alternatively, you can also rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the oils). Adding heavy cream creates a rich, pudding-like sauce and a cake that is incredibly creamy and impossibly light. I recommend serving it with fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or with a fruit sauce or fruit compote of your choice. This is an easy and elegant dessert for the spring holidays.

Lemon Pudding Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 to 2 large lemons)
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease eight 6-oz. ramekins, place in a large roasting pan and set aside. Heat a large pot or kettle with water until boiling, reduce heat and simmer until needed.

In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and cream and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, zest, juice, melted butter and sugar until smooth. Whisk half the milk and cream into the mixture, followed by half the flour. Whisk in the remaining milk and cream and then the remaining flour until just combined.

Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add a quarter of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until smooth. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter.

Pour the batter into the ramekins (they will be quite full), place the roasting pan in the oven, and pour the hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the cakes are puffed and the tops are set and very lightly golden, about 25 minutes. Use tongs to carefully remove each ramekin from the roasting pan and set on a cooling rack. Let cool for about 20 minutes (the cakes might deflate a bit, but that’s OK). Serve warm and dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Deborah Binder lives in Edmonds with her family. She loves to cook from scratch using produce from the gardens she created with her husband. She attended culinary school and worked for restaurants, caterers and culinary schools. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. Deborah loves experimenting and developing new recipes. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including moderation.” Deborah can be contacted at [email protected].