Lemon Pudding Cakes From Americas Test Kitchen Season 15 Springtime Sweets Recipe 375

LEMON PUDDING CAKES FROM AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN SEASON 15: SPRINGTIME SWEETS RECIPE - (3.7/5)

Steps:

• INSTRUCTIONS 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Bring milk and cream to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove pan from heat, whisk in lemon zest, cover pan, and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, fold dish towel in half and place in bottom of large roasting pan. Place six 6-ounce ramekins on top of towel and set aside pan. 2. Strain milk mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, pressing on lemon zest to extract liquid; discard lemon zest. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in second bowl until combined. Add egg yolks, vanilla, lemon juice, and milk mixture and whisk until combined. (Batter will have consistency of milk.) 3. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until glossy, soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. 4. Whisk one-quarter of whites into batter to lighten. With rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining whites until no clumps or streaks remain. Ladle batter into ramekins (ramekins should be nearly full). Pour enough cold water into pan to come one-third of way up sides of ramekins. Bake until cake is set and pale golden brown and pudding layer registers 172 to 175 degrees at center, 50 to 55 minutes. 5. Remove pan from oven and let ramekins stand in water bath for 10 minutes. Transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool completely. Serve. TECHNIQUE TECHNIQUE: A COLD BATH Water baths insulate food from the heat of the oven, helping custards and other delicate desserts cook more slowly. Typically, the bath gets filled with boiling water. Because the bottom pudding layer in this dessert cooks more quickly than the cake layer, we found that cold water works better, allowing the pudding to set slowly and without curdling, giving the cake time to bake through. 1. A large roasting pan accommodates more water, which takes longer to heat, providing more protection. 2. Water reaches just one-third of the way up, insulating only the pudding layer. Unaffected by insulation, the slow-to-cook cake layer bakes at a higher temperature. 3. A towel lining the bottom of the pan secures the ramekins. TECHNIQUE SCIENCE: MAXIMIZING CITRUS FLAVOR To produce bold citrus flavor in our pudding without marring its silky-smooth texture with pieces of lemon zest, we steep the zest in liquid (and then strain it out). Some of the flavor compounds in the zest are fat-soluble, such as d-limonene. others, like citric acid, are water soluble. To extract the most flavor, we infuse the zest into a mixture of two liquids that we use in our batter-milk and heavy cream-that together contain goodly amounts of both water and fat.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE I

Steps:

• Beat together egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon rind, and butter or margarine until thick and lemon colored. Combine sugar, flour, and salt; add alternately with milk to the yolk mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Beat egg whites until stiff. Blend egg whites into batter on low speed of electric mixer. Pour into 8 inch square baking dish.
• Place a pan of hot water in the oven, and set the baking dish into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Finely grate 1 tablespoon zest from lemons, then squeeze 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons juice.
• Whisk together flour, salt, and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together yolks, milk, zest, and juice in a small bowl and add to flour mixture, whisking until just combined.
• Beat whites in another large bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Whisk about one fourth of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly (batter will be thin).
• Pour into a buttered 1 1/2-quart ceramic gratin or other shallow baking dish and bake in a hot water bath (see Tips, page 156) until puffed and golden, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Transfer to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a bowl, beat egg yolk. Add sugar, milk, flour, lemon juice, zest and salt; beat until smooth. Beat egg white until stiff peaks form; gently fold into lemon mixture. Pour into 2 ungreased 6-oz. custard cups (cups will be very full). , Place the cups in an 8-in. square baking pan. Pour boiling water into pan to a depth of 1 in. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and top is golden, 40-45 minutes. If desired, top with confectioners' sugar, lemon slices and whipped cream.

BAKED LEMON PUDDING

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Stir in the milk, lemon juice, butter and lemon zest. Beat egg yolks; add to the lemon mixture. In a small bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into lemon mixture. , Pour into a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Place in a large baking pan. Fill larger pan with hot water to a depth of 1 in. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Place a large roasting pan on a rack in the center of the oven. Fill the pan halfway with water. With the pan inside, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square or round baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and salt. Whisk half the flour mixture into the egg yolks, then half the milk. Whisk in remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk.
• Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.
• Pour batter into the buttered dish. Place the dish in the pan of water in the oven. Bake until the cake is set, about 45 minutes.

LEMON PUDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter eight 6-ounce ramekins or a 2-quart baking dish. Set in a shallow baking pan. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks with 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and smooth. Whisk in butter, lemon zest and juice, milk, and flour mixture. (Refrigerate mixture, up to 3 hours.)
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites with 1/4 cup granulated sugar until stiff peaks form, 5 minutes; fold into batter. With a ladle, divide batter among ramekins, keeping sides clean. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until cakes are puffed and slightly golden on top, 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt and melted butter. Beat in the flour. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Combine milk and egg yolks, and add to lemon mixture.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Set cake pan in a water bath. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm or cold.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch glass pie dish with cooking spray and sprinkle with some sugar. In a bowl, beat the 1/3 cup sugar, honey, egg, butter, and lemon zest on medium speed about 2 minutes. Add the flour and beat until smooth. Add the milk, buttermilk, and lemon juice and beat until combined.
• In another bowl, using clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Stir about one-third of the egg whites into the batter and gently fold in the rest.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pie dish and place in a 9 X 11-inch baking pan. Add enough warm water to the pan to come halfway up the sides of the pie dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pudding is browned lightly. Transfer the pudding to a wire rack to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, make the raspberry sauce. Combine one quarter of the berries with 1 tablespoon of water and 2 teaspoons of the superfine sugar and mash with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the rest of the berries, then stir in the mashed berries and set aside for 30 minutes. Spoon the mixture over each serving of pudding cake and serve.