Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes

5 from 48 votes

Lemon lovers will rejoice as spoons plunge impulsively first into a light citrusy sponge, revealing a delicate pudding custard beneath...

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: cakes

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $1.05 per cake

Equipment

4 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups
dish cloth or towel
large roasting pan
electric mixer
mixing bowls
rubber spatula

Ingredients

2 extra large eggs room temperature; yolks and whites separated
1 cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
lemon zest from 1 large fresh lemon
4 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 large fresh lemon
pinch Kosher salt

optional

unsalted butter for greasing the sides of the ramekins
lemon slices for garnish
Confectioners' sugar for garnish/serving
assorted fresh berries for garnish/serving

Instructions

Begin by assembling a bain marie or water bath in which the cakes will bake. Place a clean dish cloth or towel (this keeps the ramekins from moving around in the bath) in a large roasting pan or baking dish. Make sure all 4 ramekins will fit side by side in the pan and squarely on top of the dish cloth FLAT. Boil water in a tea kettle and have ready.
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Butter or spray with cooking spray the bottoms and sides of the ramekins if desired. I am using new ramekins so elect not to butter, but if you will use vintage custard cups, bakeware in which foods tend to stick, or bakeware that does not have a glazed interior finish, then consider buttering or using nonstick spray.
Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the room temperature egg whites in a medium bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature egg yolks together with the sugar until grainy.
To the sugar mixture, add in the milk, flour, lemon juice, zest and salt beating until smooth. Gently fold half the egg whites into the lemon mixture until well incorporated followed by the remaining egg whites until just a few lumpy white streaks are visible.
Distribute the cake batter equally between the four prepared ramekins, setting each one down in what will become the hot water bath and atop a clean dish cloth or towel that can lie flat inside. Use a rubber spatula to scrape out all of the batter.
Transfer the pan to the oven rack (it helps to slide the rack out just enough for the kettle). Pour boiling water into the pan to a depth of 1-inch, careful not to pour water into any of the ramekins. Slide the rack back into the oven CAREFULLY.
Bake until the tops are golden brown and the cake has pulled away from the sides of the ramekins, about 45 minutes. Remove carefully (the bain marie makes the entire setup HEAVY and hot!) to clean counterspace and use a rubberized oven mitt or rubberized canning tongs to remove the little lemon pudding cakes from the hot water bath to a wire rack to cool.
Garnish with fresh berries, lemon slices, or a dusting of Confectioners' sugar.

Notes

Please Note that table salt and iodized salt are NOT substitutions for Kosher salt. Do not use table salt or iodized salt in any of the recipes you find on Not Entirely Average UNLESS specified otherwise.

Make Ahead: the lemon mixture may be made up to 3 hours in advance, the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks and folded in just before baking.

Leftovers: the cakes can be refrigerated for up to two days and enjoyed chilled or gently reheated. To Reheat place in microwave for 35 to 45 seconds until luke warm.

Modifications:

use an alternate citrus fruit in place of lemon such as blood orange, Cara Cara, or Meyer lemon in equal measure.
in lieu of individual desserts, bake in a 3-cup capacity baking dish until a knife inserted into the center pulls clean.

Nutrition