This Lemon Pudding Cake Is One to Make All Summer Long.
The Instagram-famous spoonful of fluffy lemon pudding cake with pudding underneath has probably made its way onto your feed more than once, making it even easier to scroll through and instantly forget. What’s so special about pudding and cake? you might be thinking. I’d encourage you to take another look: it’s actually one dough that’s baked in two separate layers, and honestly, it’s a light, bright, and luxurious dessert that you should enjoy all summer long.
How does lemon pudding cake become a double layer cake?
One day I was in the early stages of recipe testing and made a cake with beaten egg whites as a leavening agent and binder. The dough turned out a little weird and thin, but I baked it anyway. I knocked out the cake and was disappointed. The top was gorgeous, perfectly browned and firm. But inches below the surface lurked a thick mess. I didn’t add enough egg white to lighten and lift the batter, so the beaten part floated above the rest. This cake was a failure. However, Lemon Pudding Cake uses this mistake as a technique.
The lemon pudding cake batter is watery and the cake uses a seemingly meager amount of flour. Then carefully fold in the beaten egg whites and pour them into the cake pan. What you’ll notice is that although the egg whites are carefully folded, they float above the rest of the marigold-colored batter. This dough consists of lemon juice, sugar, butter, egg yolks and a small amount of flour. Dear bakers, these are the building blocks of lemon curd.
Lemon curd with egg white sourdough turns into a light cake on top, and the settling batter turns into the soft, tangy, pudding-like curd you know and love. The only thing you will have to do is set up a water bath so that the curd can harden slightly. It’s worth it.
I needed a recipe with individual servings, so this recipe will make enough for five six-ounce ramekins. If you’re not interested in small portions, this recipe can be made in one cake pan or small casserole dish if you have a larger pan to fit it in (water bath). The cake is nicely lemony, not too tart, and doesn’t need to be decorated—the lemon curd underneath is scratchy and just begs to be covered with frosting. It is very pleasant to eat warm or as a cool snack straight from the refrigerator.
Mini Lemon Pudding Brownies Recipe
Ingredients:
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3 eggs, separated
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1 teaspoon lemon zest
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¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
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1 tablespoon butter, melted
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⅓ cup flour
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¾ cup sugar
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¼ teaspoon salt
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1 glass of milk
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place five six-ounce ramekins in a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Grease the molds with oil and leave them in the mold. Meanwhile, heat a kettle of water to a boil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest and oil. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. Keep milk on standby.
3. Slowly add half the sugar mixture, then half the milk. Add the rest of the sugar mixture, followed by the remaining milk.
4. Beat the egg whites again in another bowl until soft peaks form. Try to keep them soft; if you beat them too hard, they will be difficult to incorporate into the batter. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. I did it in four folds.
5. Using a small ladle or large bowl, divide the batter into the pans. Don’t just scoop from the top. Be sure to start from the bottom of the bowl to get both parts of the dough.
6. Place the large ramekin pan in the oven and then pour the freshly boiled water into the outer pan. The water should reach the middle of the molds. Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are set, browned and starting to pull away from the edges.
Carefully remove the ramekins from the bath and cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.