Little Lemon Puddings

This lemon pudding dessert is the perfect finish to a delicious meal, tangy, lemony, citrussy, light and satisfying. My recipe celebrates the start of the lemon season for us from our backyard. 

The lemons on our potted lemon tree are now ready to be picked, and this lemon pudding is the perfect way to enjoy them. It's only a small tree with a small crop but growing very well in it's pot, located in full sun next to the bird bath. The lemons are large and very juicy and rather thin skinned. Whilst I adore Lemon Delicious self saucing pudding ,when lots of bush lemons are available, these little puddings are a nice variation using homemade lemon curd for the sauce. I prefer to make my own lemon curd, and as I still have a few jars in the freezer from last year, this recipe came together very simply. My recipe for Microwave Lemon Curd is at this link, (originally the wonderful Lorraine's recipe from 

(Not Quite Nigella) or good quality lemon curd can also be purchased from the stores and will work just as well. Please don't feel pressured to make your own.

Our little potted lemon tree. These precious lemons will be used for special recipes

Before cooking this recipe, ensure the ingredients are at room temperature.  I like to  pop these puddings into the oven at the same time as the main course is being served. They can cook while we are eating.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (140g) home made or good-quality lemon curd

125 g softened unsalted butter, with extra for greasing

125 g caster sugar

125 g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Custard to serve

Method:

Makes 6 puddings

Preheat your oven to 180 deg. C and grease six 1 cup (250ml) ramekins well with melted butter.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of lemon curd into the bottom of each dish. Place the ramekin dishes out of the way on your bench until needed.

Assemble your food processor, and add the butter, sugar, flour and baking powder, eggs and lemon zest and mix until well combined. Add the lemon juice, and give the batter a quick whiz until well mixed.

Divide the mixture between the ramekins, filling each dish to 3/4 full up the sides of each dish. 

Use a knife to gently smooth the tops of the batter.

Place the ramekins on a thick baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

When cooked, remove the whole baking tray from the oven. Carefully take the dishes off the tray,  and  ease the sponge cake away from the edges of each dish using a table or palette knife, or a small spatula.

Select 6 serving dishes, small bowls or plates, and carefully tip each pudding onto the plates. Spoon any remaining lemon curd from the ramekins over the cakes.

Serve immediately with warm custard, or thickened cream.

Cook's tips:

• I suggest in the recipe to use 1 cup ramekins for baking these puddings. If you are serving a large main meal beforehand, I think you could use 3/4 cup ramekins and your guest would be happy. To be honest, I only have 4 of the 1 cup ramekins, so to test out the sizes, I also used 2 extra 3/4 cup ramekin's and this size was large enough for me to eat. So if you use the smaller 3/4 cup oven proof ramekins, this recipe could be stretched to feed 8 people. Also if you have plenty of lemon curd, add 2 tablespoons instead of two, but one is still delicious.
• These puddings tip out from the ramekins very easily into the individual serving dishes, so don't worry about that being a problem. Just butter the baking ramekins well. However, the puddings can be topped up with custard or cream in the pots they are baked in, and eaten straight from the ramekins, if you don't have enough small serving dishes, or you want to be very casual. I found that there are rewards to be enjoyed with eating the puddings straight from the baking ramekins, the lemon curd at the base of the pot seems all the more intensely special. The dishes and the puddings will be hot though. 

When I first saw this recipe in a Delicious Australia Magazine, I knew I would have to make it. If you already have some lemon curd on hand, this is the easiest recipe to bring together. All of the cake ingredients are already in a home cook's pantry. If you don't have a food processor, well it could be whizzed up in a normal cake mixer such as a Kitchen Aid.

Up here in tropical Queensland we are still struggling with an unprecedented hot Summer/Autumn, and with no rain despite the promised storms. We are not complaining though, well not too much, when we see what is happening in the Ukraine, in the depths of Winter. Every morning and evening, the world news brings us more distressing news,  however it was quite miraculous to see yesterday on the news that an older lady escaped the Ukraine by various perilous means, and made it safely to Australia to the city we live in, Mackay. She is now reunited with her daughter and Australian family. That was so lovely to see.

I hope you enjoy this recipe my friends, it is a good one, and baking it gave me a lot of pleasure, as did eating it:) We started with six just for the two of us, and there is now one left to be shared, perhaps. Mr. HRK has really enjoyed them.

Warm wishes

Pauline