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The birthday spirit lives on around here, but the cake does not.  Given one more chance to sing a Happy Birthday, I whipped up a second birthday dessert, this one a bit brighter and lighter than the first (Caramel Cake).  There have been a lot of posts about sweets and liquor lately, but to be honest, that pretty much sums up the month of February around here.  I did mention the “birthday month“, did I not?

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake is just the thing for a sweet wintery treat.  A cross between a souffle and lemon curd, but so much easier to prepare.  Prepare the batter and bake.  As the cake bakes it separates into two delightful layers, a lemon pudding on top and an incredibly light and moist cake on the bottom.  Serve with a gently sweetened berry sauce.  I used ollalie berries from my parents bushes (thanks Mom!), but blackberries, raspberries, even blueberries would be delicious.  This can be made one day in advance, making it a great dessert for guests.

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

makes 6 individual cakes

adapted from Monti’s Rotisserie and Bar

4 eggs (separated)

pinch of salt

6 2/3 tablespoon flour

1 cup sugar

zest from 3 Meyer lemons

4 tablespoons juice (from zested lemons)

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

toppings

berry sauce (recipe follows)

1/2 cup creme fraiche or whip cream

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Butter and flour 4 6-ounce ramekins.  Set aside.

Separate eggs.  Whip eggs with a pinch of salt until medium peaks form.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour and sugar together.  This prevents the flour from clumping up when you add it to the rest of the mixture.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the lemon juice, egg yolks, zest and buttermilk.  Fold the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture, then gently fold in the egg whites until just combined.

Fill the prepared ramekins to the top with the batter.  Place filled ramekins in a casserole dish.  Place casserole dish on the middle rack of the oven. Pour hot water into the casserole dish so that the water level reaches half the way up the sides of the ramekins.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until slightly browned on top.

Remove from the water bath, cool, then chill until needed.  Can be made one day ahead.

the berry sauce

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (I used ollalie berries)

2 tablespoons sugar

Toss the berries with the sugar and let sit until fruit is soft and syrupy.  Puree half the berries.  Mix the puree with the whole berries.

to serve

Invert the ramekin over plate and gently tap the bottom.  The pudding cake should drop out.  If necessary, run a knife around the edge to loosen the sides.  Spoon berry sauce around plate and top with whipped cream.

Print this recipe: Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

You may also like:

Meyer Lemon Curd

Classic Apple Crisp

Lemony Chicken Stew with Green Olives