Lemon Pudding Cakes

I have an extreme fondness for lemon desserts. Lemon curd is my favorite, especially when served atop lemon pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream. And while I'm not a big donut fan, I always gravitate to the lemon-filled at Krispy Kreme, fantasizing that one day, the artificial lemon filling will actually taste as good as homemade Meyer lemon curd. I shall keep dreaming.

Last night I had a few friends over for dinner, and I once again found myself serving a lemon dessert. In fact, the entire meal had either lemons or orange in it, but the lemon pudding cake recipe was the impetus for the rest of the dishes, and a perfect ending point. The cake gave me exactly what I love about my favorite lemon curd and pound cake combo, without all the extra work, and with considerably less butter.

You prepare the batter almost as you would a souffle - the key to the lightness of the cakes is beating the egg whites until firm, and folding them into a mixture of sugar, flour, milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks. My favorite part about these cakes is that they had a pillowy denseness at the top crust, but the bottom was like a pudding - fabulous! We had ate ours with blueberries on top, but I think the lemon flavor shines better on its own. Next time I will try this with Meyer lemons.

Lemon Pudding Cakes
(recipe from foodandwine.com)

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 skim milk
• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Fresh raspberries or blackberries, for serving

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.