Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes…

Anna of Cookie Madness highlighted this recipe a few weeks back, which immediately evoked my childhood. My mom used to bake these pudding cakes, usually on Saturday nights it seemed. We’d come home from Saturday night Mass with my dad, and my mom would have supper ready, on the table. She’d vary between a chocolate one, a lemon one, and I think it was an improvisation due to lack of lemon-age- an orange one. There were 6 of us in our family, so chances were, there weren’t ANY leftovers. This came out JUST like I remembered!

Louise’s Lemon Pudding Cake

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar (divided use)
Grated zest of three lemons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 2 TBSP all purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup lemon juice (from the 3 lemons you zested)
4 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1-1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 7 ½ x10 ½ inch baking dish. (8 x 12?) Have ready a roasting pan or pan large enough to hold the baking pan. You will be using it as a water bath.
2. Set aside 1/2 cup of the sugar and put 1 cup in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and mash it around with the back of a spoon until you have a fragrant, lemony sugar.
3. Add the the salt and the flour and stir until well combined. Add melted butter, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Mix until well blended. Stir in cream and milk. Set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until fluffy. Gradually add the reserved 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff but still moist.
5. Fold egg white mixture into lemon mixture. Pour batter into the buttered baking dish.                              Place the baking dish in the larger pan and fill the larger pan with water so that it comes about halfway up the sides (water bath). 
6. Bake on center rack for 40-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve hot or cold. (I like it better cold)           Serves 6-8.

           

My baking dish wasn’t a 9”x13”, so instead of doubling the original recipe, I “one-and-half-ed” it. I was still afraid I had too much batter for my baking dish, so I removed about a cup or so to a smaller bowl. As it turned out, I wouldn’t have had a problem if I left all the batter in the baking dish. If you have a 9” x 13” pan, it’s a pretty safe bet that doubling the original recipe will work.