How to make a self-saucing Lemon Delicious Pudding

 

Lemon Delicious Pudding is a very popular self-saucing pudding in Queensland, and after harvesting the first crop of the year of precious lemons from our potted tree, this was the first dessert I wanted to make with them. When I say first harvest, I mean 4 lemons. The recipe produces a luscious and creamy lemon sauce topped with a soft lemon flavoured sponge cake which is an absolute joy to eat. It is also a cinch to make. The recipe is straight out of the iconic Stephanie Alexander's cookbook, The Cook's Companion. Some Lemon Delicious Puddings don't create enough sauce for my taste, they are all sponge and no sauce, but this one does. It is also very easy to prepare quickly and can be placed in the oven just before serving the main course.  I love puddings that can be cooking while we are eating our main course. Or, it is also the perfect dessert to pop in the oven and cook at the same time that the family roast dinner is cooking. Is your mouth watering, mine is just thinking about it.

Bush lemons will be in season soon, in Queensland anyway, and if you can manage to locate some of that variety, they are perfect for making this pudding. However, any variety of lemon can be used. I originally posted this recipe on an In My Kitchen post a couple of years ago, but it can be difficult to find the recipe on a normal search, and as I might want to make it for the family with some French lemons when I am overseas, I need to be able to find the recipe easily on my blog. It is a lovely dessert that can be enjoyed at any time of the year, fresh and light for a Summer pudding, but very comforting during Winter. We eat it happily all year round. 

The Best Lemon Delicious Pudding recipe:

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 lemons and the zest of one

60 g butter

1 1/2 cups castor sugar

3 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons self-raising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 deg. C. and butter a 1 litre ovenproof basin or serving dish. 

Zest 1 lemon and juice both.

In a food processor, cream the butter with the zest and the sugar, then add the egg yolks.

Add the flour and milk alternately to make a smooth batter.

Scrape the mixture from the side of the processor bowl and blend in the lemon juice.

Tip all of this mixture into a bowl.

In a separate dry bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm and creamy and fold them into the prepared basin.

Stand the basin in a baking dish and pour in hot water so that it comes halfway up the sides of the basin.

Transfer the basin and dish carefully to the oven and bake for 1 hour. Check it however after 45 minutes, and when the sponge is browned and firm to the touch, it is cooked. Mine generally needs an hour. 

Serve when it has cooled slightly.

It is delicious served with ice cream or pouring cream.

Hallelujah, after weeks of unseasonably hot weather, it's raining here. I still managed to go for a walk this morning though before the rain started. Win, win.

Warm wishes,

Pauline