I love sweet, lemony treats…lemon tart, lemon curd, lemon drizzle cake… Anything with lemons and sugar gets my vote! After discovering this recipe in the UK-published Delicious Magazine back in 2008, I was ecstatic! This is one of those clever desserts that magically separates as it bakes to give a top layer of sponge cake with a layer of deliciously tangy lemon sauce underneath. Lemon dessert at its best!
You will need:
- 6 oven proof baking cups or ramekins
- ¾ cup/150g granulated white sugar, divided into 125g and 25g
- 4tbs/57g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 medium eggs, separated
- 1tsp pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla pod
- 1tbs lemon zest (from 1½ lemons)
- ⅓ cup/40g plain flour
- ⅓tbs baking powder
- ¼tsp salt
- ⅓cup/80 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 1 cup/240 ml milk (I use full cream, use low fat if you wish but not skimmed)
What to do:
- Lightly grease the ramekins with a little butter. Preheat the oven to 325°F/180°C/Gas 4.
- Using an electric hand-mixer, beat 125g of sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add four egg yolks, one at a time. Beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the lemon juice and milk. Set aside.
- In a clean bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 25g of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, in three additions, mixing only until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins. (The batter rises a little during baking, so you can fill the ramekins to ¾ full.)
- The desserts are baked in a water bath as this provides indirect heat so the puddings bake gently and slowly to give moist and tender puddings. To make a water bath, first place all ramekins in a larger baking pan that leave about 1 inch around the edges and then pour in enough hot water in the baking pan so that the water comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the sponge cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Be careful not to insert the toothpick into the lemon sauce at the bottom of the ramekins. Remove the ramekins from the water bath immediately and cool slightly before serving.
This dessert can be served warm or at room temperature. Dust with icing sugar for presentation (optional). Leftovers can be covered with cling film and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Excellent cold or you can reheat the dessert in the microwave.
