Baked Buttermilk Lemon Pudding
The top part of this baked buttermilk lemon cake is soft and fluffy, remininescent to a soufflé. When you dive into the cake with a spoon, a creamy and smooth lemon layer at the bottom will be revealed. The two textures combine to create a luscious lemon dessert.
One of the great things about this dessert is that although you separate the eggs, you do indeed use the whole egg. Nothing worse than trying to come up with a plan with all those leftover yolks!
I dusted the cakes with powdered sugar before serving but you can also add berries or whipped cream, but I liked the cake plain and simple this time round.
What you’ll need:
Unsalted butter
Lemon zest
Eggs
All-purpose flour
Buttermilk (whole can work, too)
Fresh lemon juice
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
What you’ll do:
Zest those lemons: I find that a long microplane like the one below is the easiest and most efficient way to get the most amount of zest. One large lemon zested gave me more than double what the recipe called for.
Separate your eggs, one at a time. And do make sure one at a time because there’s nothing worse than being in the home stretch and then goofing it up!
Whisk the egg whites. Like you would for meringue, make sure to wipe down the bowl and mixer with a paper towel and white vinegar to cut through any grease residue as this will ensure no traces of fat is unknowingly added to the egg whites. The fat will impeded aerating the eggs to become nice and foamy.
Juice the lemons. Make sure to zest first so there’s not such a mess! The lemons should be room temperature to get the most amount of juice you can.
I like to use this squeezer that I got from Amazon:
Folding in the egg whites.
By folding the lighter ingredient (whipped egg whites) into the heavier one (cake batter), rather than stirring or whisking, you're able to mix them without bursting too many air bubbles. It is this inconspicuous ingredient in the batter and the true secret to the combination of lofty cake and delicate cream.
Get your dishes ready. Make sure you’ve sprayed your ramekins with non-stick spray before filling them. They should be spaced appropriately to ensure even cooking.
Bath time. A hot-water bath is a gentle method of oven cooking whereby individual ramekins in this case, are set inside a large baking dish with high sides, that is then set in the oven. The dish is then filled with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
WHY??? The result of using a water bath is to create a steamy environment in your oven that encourages balanced cooking for delicate foods suck as the Baked Buttermilk Lemon pudding which is essentially half cake, half custard. We want to ensure that the cake doesn’t overcook or crack so the hot-water bath will help prevent that while allowing the creamy custard in the layer below to do its thing.
To store:
You can make these a day ahead. If you do, store them on the countertop away from sunshine and heat but for no more than a day. Cover them with Saran Wrap. If you want to serve them warm (you should!), remove the wrap and place in a preheated oven at 325°F for about 10 minutes. Place them on a baking tray and be careful not to dry them out.
Baked Buttermilk Lemon Pudding
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray six ramekins with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside a 9" x 13" baking dish.
- Separate eggs. Egg whites in to an electric mixer bowl and yolks in to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and salt. Add the flour and sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Spoon ¼ of the egg whites into the lemon mixture and mix until smooth. With a rubber spatula, gently add the remaining egg whites and fold into the lemon mixture until no lumps or bumps remain. Be cautious not to overmix as you want to keep the air in the batter. The batter should be pale, slightly foamy from the eggs, and liquidy.
- Spoon batter in to the ramekins about ⅔'s full. You may have to go back to top them off - just make sure batter is divided evenly. Evenly space the ramekins in to the baking dish. Fill the baking dish with tepid water until it reaches the halfway mark of the ramekins.
- Carefully place the ramekins and dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. The cakes should be slightly puffy and golden on top.
- Remove from oven and using tongs, remove the ramekins from the baking dish and cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before serving. You will find they will sink slightly.
- If desired, dust with powdered sugar and serve with berries and whipped cream.
Notes
These cakes can be made a day ahead. Once they are completely cool on the wire rack, cover the cakes with saran wrap and store at room temperature. Before serving, preheat the oven to 325°F, remove the plastic and place the ramekins on a baking sheet, heating for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Be mindful not to dry them out.