blissful eats with tina jeffers: Meyer lemon pudding cakes

In my household dessert is only considered dessert if it involves chocolate.   Every now and then I get a little selfish and go for pure self indulgence. The expectation around here is for chocolate but why not a little tart with your sweet?  My son absolutely loved these little cakes so I didn’t have to suffer through eating them all by myself.   

Meyer lemons are sweeter and mellower than regular lemons and work perfectly in this magic lemon cake.  While the cake bakes it separates into two layers so you have a light fluffy sponge on top and a rich creamy pudding layer on the bottom.  Serving these with a little bit of fresh fruit is a must in my opinion, I like to swirl my strawberries in the pudding layer it’s like a little taste of heaven. 

Meyer lemon pudding cakes

From Food and Wine

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk

5 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice 

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

fresh raspberries and strawberries, for serving

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray six 6-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar with the flour. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the butter until well blended. Whisk in the milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour the lemon mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until firm peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins and transfer them to a small roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and pour in enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake the pudding cakes for 35 minutes or until they are puffy and golden on top. Using tongs, transfer the ramekins to a rack to cool for 20 minutes. Serve the cakes in the ramekins or run a knife around the edge of each cake and unmold onto plates. Serve warm or at room temperature with the berries.