LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Thanks to those of you who left me a comment about your vote for a Full Post or Excerpt.  Evidently, very few people look at this blog . . . or you just really don’t care one way or another . . .which is good.   The votes were 7 for a Full post and 4 votes for Excerpts.  So . . . Full has it!  There is one disadvantage of a full post on the main page.  It takes a bit longer to load if I display several pic’s, and you have to scroll a bit more.  If you do prefer the Excerpt way, simply click on the category list in the menu bar, and view the recipes that way. You know the saying . . .Patience is a virtue.

Let’s talk small annoyances today. 

For instance:

Is there anything more annoying than finding the perfect color of lipstick, only to find out it’s been discontinued? Retailers have suddenly pulled the plug on a pair of jeans that actually lifted your derrière and seemed to add ten inches to the length of your legs.

 Or . . .

 Easy to throw together desserts that adorn the Betty Crocker name, such as Date Bar Mix or Lemon Pudding Cake have lost their entitled space on that grocery store shelf.

I ask you . . . where is the justice? 

There is only one thing left to do, and that’s make it from scratch! 

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

If you were once a lover of this fabulous box mix, then you will want to dive in head first and make this dessert!

 

 I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart Website, and it’s very simple to make.

It’s also better than the box!

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.  Set a kettle of water to boil.  Butter six 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins (I used four 8-ounce ramekins) and place in a dish towel-lined baking dish or roasting pan.

Like this . . .

 Gather all your ingredients for the Lemon Pudding Cake.

Butter, eggs separated, sugar, flour, lemon juice, zest, milk, salt, vanilla confectioners sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, vanilla and sugar until light; whisk in flour. 

 Zest one large lemon . . . make sure that you don’t get any of the white.

 Squeeze all the juice from that large lemon.  It should = about 1/4 cup of juice.

 Whisk in the zest & the lemon juice to the above mixture.

Add the milk and whisk again . . .

In another bowl, place your room temperature egg whites and 1/4 tsp. salt.

With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.

Gently fold whipped whites into the lemon batter.

It won’t be a thick batter . . . It’s a bit liquid.

Note:  At the last minute I decided to add a few crushed frozen raspberries, realizing that by doing this, I should have reduced the milk a tad bit.

Which I didn’t do!

Fold it together gently to create a beautiful fluffy . . . not very thick batter.

Divide that batter evenly among your ramekins . . . and have your boiling water ready.

Place the baking dish in the pre-heated oven and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the cups.

Make sure that you don’t spill any of that water into the batter filled cups.

Bake until puffed and golden browned (but pudding is still visible in the bottom).

Remove carefully from the boiling water . . . those cups will be HOT!

I baked my 8-ounce cups for about 25 minutes.

Sprinkle the top with a bit of confectioners sugar.

Now … let them cool slightly and dig in right away, or make Whipped Cream or beautiful Meringue for the tops!

  I decided on Meringue . . . it’s also simple to make.

All you need is 3 egg whites at room temp, 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp. Cornstarch.

Using a hand or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites, starting on low speed.  Once the whites are soft and frothy (like the center picture), gradually and slowly add your sugar beating continually. 

Increase your mixer speed to high and beat until it stiff and glossy peaks form (about 10 minutes or longer).

Add the cornstarch and beat for another minute.

The mixture should be very stiff…..the peaks won’t fall off the beaters or wire whisk attachment.

It will just stay there!

 At this point, I like to add the meringue to a pastry bag, with a 1M tip or star tip.

Pipe the meringue on top of the cooled cakes . . . like so.

If you want to . . . you can also grab a torch from the garage, or use your fancy schmancy kitchen torch.

These are good warm or cold.  They even taste yummy the next day!

My husband even licked the bowl clean.

 

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients

Serves 6.

• Unsalted butter, room temperature, for custard cups
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest, (1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Butter six 6-ounce custard cups and place in a dish towel-lined baking dish or roasting pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, vanilla and sugar until light; whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, then milk and zest.
3. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add to lemon batter and fold in gently with a whisk (batter will be quite liquid).
4. Divide batter among prepared custard cups; place baking dish in oven and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up sides of cups. Bake until puffed and lightly browned (but pudding is still visible in bottom), 20 to 25 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
5. MY NOTES:  I baked my 8 ounce ramekins for 25 minutes, because I added crushed up frozen raspberries to the batter.  *If you do this, make sure that you DECREASE your milk by at least 2 tablespoons. My pudding could have been just a tad thicker.  Add Whipped Cream or Meringue to the top for added deliciousness.

 MERINGUE

• 3 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

Directions

1.  Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites, starting on low speed.  Once whites are soft, gradually add sugar.

2.  Increase mixer speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form (10 to 12 minutes)

3.  Add Cornstarch and beat for another minute or two.

4.  Transfer meringue to pastry bag and pipe on top of dessert.