My Meyer Lemon tree is dripping with ripe fruit right now, and this pudding is a perfect way to use some of them up. The pudding is served warm, and is light enough to be enjoyed all year round. If you are lucky enough to have any left over it is also tasty eaten cold!
The picture above is from my book of treasured recipes. As you can see by the stains, it is a well-used and well-loved little book, with pages of recipes from family and friends. This particular recipe comes from my mum’s mother, Margaret Nurcombe, known to us as Marga, rather than Grandmother. Marga passed away just over a year ago, but every time I smell a gardenia, see my Meyer Lemon tree (she had an enormous one in her back yard too!) or make this pudding, I think of her.
Ingredients to serve four:
3 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, 1 tablespoon self raising flour (for my American friends, you can make self raising flour by adding 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to one cup of all purpose cake flour), 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar extra.
The recipe can be easily doubled to feed a larger crowd. I have also made this with gluten-free flour very successfully.
Method:
Prepare your lemon zest, and then your lemon juice and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180C (moderate or 355F) or slightly less if it is fan forced.
Separate your eggs, and place the yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Beat until thick and creamy, making sure the sugar has dissolved. You can still see the sugar granules in this picture, which means it’s not quite ready.
Add the milk, lemon juice and rind and beat on low speed to combine, then add the flour and mix through. Yes, it is only 1 tablespoon of flour – I know it doesn’t seem like much, but the texture of this pudding is like a sponge or a souffle – you want it to be light!
Clean your beaters to make sure there is no trace of yolk left on them (which would prevent your egg whites from beating up nicely). Beat your egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Add the extra tablespoon of sugar and beat again until the sugar is dissolved.
Fold the egg whites gently through the lemon mixture, until they are just combined. Be gentle with this bit!
Pour into a greased dish, and set the dish in a pan of cold water. Bake for 50 minutes. The top will rise like a sponge cake, but underneath there will still be a tangy sweet lemon sauce.
It smells heavenly when it comes out of the oven…
But the real magic happens when you take a spoon and cut into it.
Lemon Delicious Pudding is delightful on its own, but is also well teamed with a good vanilla ice-cream. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does. It’s so easy to prepare, and it is one of my all-time favourites! ♥
Oh my goodness this looks good! I love lemon desserts. I’ll be trying this one soon!
My mouth is watering and I’ve just finished a sandwich filled with lemon curd. I can imagine the smell when that pudding comes out of the oven…..delicious! I must try this one, thank you for the recipe.
This is one of those recipes that is handed down through the generations. It was a favourite when my mother made it, my children loved it, and my daughter actually made it last Sunday night for her family.Thank you Nicole for passing it on today. And, by the way, I hope you have had a wonderful birthday today, if you received one tiny portion of what you give to others it would have been beyond happiness. xxx
It is sewwwwww good!!!!! xoxo
That looks divineI I love lemony desserts and this looks so light and lovely. The minute we get Meyer lemons back, I am going to make this. You are so lucky to have a tree!
This looks delicious! But I have a question: when you used gluten-free flour, what kind did you use and did you add the baking powder and soda?
Yummie!! I will have my baking kids and husband to that for me with a lot of icecream! Thank you for the recipe! Lots of Love
That’s it…I’m going to make it in honour of your Marga and enjoy every sweet love filled mouthful…XXX