Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to center position.
Lightly butter or spray with non-stick spray the individual custard cups, or
ramekins of your choice. If you don't have individual custard cups, bake the
batter in an 8-inch square baking dish (or other shallow 2-quart baking dish). Bring several quarts of water to boil for water bath.
In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and salt; beat until crumbly. Beat in egg yolks and flour, mixing until smooth. Slowly beat in lemon zest and juice; stir in milk.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently whisk whites into batter just until no large lumps remain. Immediately ladle batter into prepared baking pan or custard cups. Do not pour; otherwise, the first cups get all the froth and the later cups get all the batter.
Set a roasting pan onto oven rack. Lay folded dish towel onto bottom of roasting pan; set custard cups or baking pan on top of towel. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of baking pan or custard cups.
The gradual, even heat of baking in a water bath insulates
the pudding cakes from the direct heat of the oven, preventing over-baking at
the edges before the centers are set.
Bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes (for ramekins or custard cups) or 30
to 35 minutes (for 2-quart baking dish) or until pudding cake center is set and springs back when gently touched. Remove roasting pan from oven and set on a wire rack. Let pan or cups continue to stand in water bath for 10 minutes.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.
When baked in ramekins or custard cups, pudding cakes can be inverted after
baking and served upside down. I prefer them served
chilled, but if you prefer them served warm, allow enough time to let the
pudding cakes rest first, about 30 minutes after removing them from the oven, so
the custard can set properly. Served cold, they have more intense flavor, and
the two layers are more distinct. If desired, sprinkle the individual
pudding cakes with powdered sugar just before serving.
Makes 6 servings.
VARIATIONS:
Orange Pudding Cake - Follow the recipe above making the following
changes:
- Substitute the lemon zest and lemon juice (1/4 cup) with 1 medium orange
for the lemon zest and juice.
- Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice along with the orange juice.
Chocolate Pudding Cake - Follow the recipe above making the following
changes:
- In a medium-size bowl, make a thick cocoa paste by slowly stirring
1/2 cup boiling water into 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa. Cool the paste
slightly, then stir in 1 tablespoon dark rum. Substitute cocoa paste for
lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Decrease flour from 3 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons.
Bourbon Pudding Cake - Follow the recipe above making the following
changes:
- Decrease flour from 3 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons.
- Substitute 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon
bourbon whiskey for lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Increase milk from 1 cup to 1 1/3 cups.
