Lemon Souffle Pudding
Written by joythebaker on January 21, 2009 – 1:21 pm -
I’m going to need a day to digest the Fancy Food Show.
In the meantime, I thought I’d present you with this Lemon Souffle Pudding.
I often think of myself as a mash up of the time I’ve spent in the world so far. In essence I feel like a messy concoction of parents, siblings, friends from kindergarten, mean girls from high school, various low paying jobs, and different cities. I am all of those things. Whether or not I acknowledge it every day, I am who I am as a direct result of all of many people, many places and many experiences. So far it feels like a pretty sweet gig.
I got to thinking about the sum of my life’s parts yesterday on a plane from Oakland back to Los Angeles. Plane rides, no matter how short, force me to quickly assess my life situation.
My quick flash assessment went a little something like this in my brain:
Lindsey, Michelle and Beth were the best girlfriends I could have had in elementary school. I’m glad I became best friends with the smart girls.
I kinda feel bad about treating my prom date the way I did. Maybe I should Facebook him.
I’m really glad I got to see my parents renew their vows. That brought a lot of good to my world.
Simon. I’m so glad Simon and I stumbled upon each other.
If this plane crashes… God, please don’t let this plane crash… I’d feel like I’ve had a pretty good run. Thanks. Seriously.
If this plane crashes… God please don’t let this plane crash… I wonder if the lady sitting next to me would hold my hand … but only if the plane were crashing… otherwise, I don’t really need to hold her hand.
Should I order ginger ale or cranberry juice when they come around for drink orders?
Jill gave me the most gorgeous lemons and they’re waiting for me at home.
Lara made the most amazing lemon pudding the other night. I want more.
Oh God… the plane is taking off! I hope we’re nowhere near a flock of geese. Seriously. I don’t think I like river landings.
From the quick assessment of my life’s parts, this Lemon Souffle Pudding was born. Inspired my Lara, facilitated by Jill and consumed by me.
Lemon Souffle Pudding
from The Joy of Cooking and inspired by Lara Trale
Do not underestimate this dessert. It’s light, tart, and all together dreamy. Instead of making several smaller souffles, I made one large dessert in a 9-inch glass baking dish. The bottom bakes up as a creamy lemon pudding and the top as a light and spongy souffle. The souffle bakes up almost cake light- super light ans soft. Two desserts in one! I added more lemon to the recipe. I couldn’t help myself.
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
3 tablespoons (40 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoon (4 grams) lemon zest
1/3 cup (50 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 cup (2400 ml) whole milk
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter six – 1 cup (240 ml) ramekins or other heatproof bowls. I used one buttered 9-inch glass pie dish.
Set aside 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of the sugar to use when whipping the egg whites. Place the remaining sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add the lemon zest to the sugar. With the back of a spoon, or spatula, grind the lemon zest into the sugar, creating a fragrant, slightly yellow tinged sugar. Working the zest into the sugar will release lots of the essential oils in the zest, creating a super lemony batter. Then, in the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the lemony sugar and butter. Add the three egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the lemon juice and milk. Set aside while you beat the egg whites.
In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, in three additions, mixing only until incorporated.
Carefully pour (or use a ladle) the batter into the prepared ramekins. (The batter does not rise much during baking so you can fill the ramekins almost to the rim.) I poured the entire mixture into the 9-inch pie pan. Place the ramekins in a larger baking pan (or any size pan that will fit the ramekins and leave about 1 inch (2.54 cm) around the edges). Or place the 9-inch baking dish in a larger basting pan and set on your counter
Boil a tea pot of water to create a water bath. (A water bath is used to provide temperature protection for the eggs.) Place the basting pan with the souffle inside into the oven, carefully pulling the oven rack out a bit. Carefully pour in enough hot water so that the water is halfway up the sides of the ramekins or pie dish, and carefully slide the rack back into the oven.
Bake for about 40 – 45 minutes or until the sponge cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Be careful not to insert the toothpick into the lemon sauce at the bottom of the ramekins. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.
This dessert can be served warm or at room temperature. Dust the tops of the puddings with confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar and dress with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit (optional).
Tags: dessert, lemon, pudding, recipe, souffle
Posted in Cakes, Creamy, Fruit, Recipes, Thoughts | 50 Comments »
Ha you really made me smile with yout plane thoughts. This pudding looks so good I love lemon
Oh Joy – this looks divine. I’m going to have to climb on the stairmaster and make this over the weekend.
LOL! Glad to see that everything worked out and ended with your lemon souffle pudding.
~ingrid
Geeze, one of these days I really need to make a list of things I want to make that you’ve posted… spend all my time at the gym for two weeks… and then make them!
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. One thing…..1 cup is equal to 250mls………
Thanks for this recipe…yummmm
My husband thinks the exact same thing as you (apart from the geese part and maybe the lemons) every time we get on a plane!! Poor you!!!
On a lighter note this look fantastic and lets face it you can’t beat tart lemons and sweet cake!! Gorgeous!!!
Delicious!!!!! My husband will love to hear about this, I am adding to my to-make list! Thank you:)
Sunny, yummy dessert. Lovin’ the lemon.
Yes, I have the same thoughts as you as I’m flying. Every time.
I can’t wait to try this! I love anything with lemon. Thanks!
I love lemon everything. This dessert looks divine! Can’t wait to hear about the show!
Looks tarty and sweet and delish.
Interesting – makes me think of my own life chapters – books, boys, publishing, family – thanks for the inspiration, Joy!
I have a recipe that’s very similar to this with key lime, but I’ve never gotten it to turn out! I’ll just have to try it your way and see if I can get it right.
Oh yummy! I’d hold your hand, Joy, river landing or no river landing, just feed me this pudding!
HI Joy,
I am also scared of planes taking off, I always think of it crashing too, lol. I’m glad you arrived safetly. I just wanted to know if the eggs have to be at room temp too and is there a substitute for cream of tartar or is this an essential part of the souffle? Thank you,
Oh my gosh, this looks fantastic! I love lemon.
It is funny how often I recognize myself in your stories. I, too, still feel bad for the way I treated my prom date. Although at the time I really didn’t know any better. Thanks for the lemon recipe for they are always my favorite!
This looks just beautiful and light! What a great dessert!
Pudding and souffle in one? With lemon? Who could ask for anything more?
I happened to be flying the DAY OF the Hudson River incident. Do you know how much that news freaked me out??
This looks delicious, and it’s exactly the recipe I’m looking for!! You see, a few nights ago, someone who is a terrific cook made this dessert, but I didn’t know what it was, and I thought it might be rude if I asked. Needless to say, it was just wonderful, and I have been pondering its nature ever since. Thanks for solving the mystery, Joy!
i am sooo happy that the blogosphere is all atwitter about this style dessert (mostly called lemon pudding cakes, etc) ~ i found the recipe in food & wine about a year ago, tried them, and was AMAZED… it was easy, forgiving, and still delish and elegant. anyway, so gourmet featured them this past month and i am ECSTATIC that there are people to share my enthusiasm w/ now!
i really like your larger presentation here ~ much less fuss, and family-style always works for me.
Boy, if you had those thoughts on a short trip from Oakland to LA, what am I going to think about from Oakland to Kauai next week???????
I made a recipe similar, if not the same as this one a few weeks ago. That recipe called for inverting the dish so that the pudding was on top. There were a lot of complaints from others who made the dish that it didn’t come out right. The trick was to make sure the cake had sat for at least an hour before inverting. I added blueberries to the bottom of the dish before adding the batter. I LOVE blueberries and lemon……..
This looks delicious. Maybe it would be tasty with the Peruvian limes…definitely tarter. But I love that tartness. Oh…maybe passionfruit? Either way, I marked it. I want some.
Oh geez … I’m not even that big of a citrus fan, but this looks so luscious that I can feel myself turning into a citrus convert right now! The only thing is that I’m scared of souffles. I know I know, I need to get over my fear and just go for it!
I love the plate you chose for such a dainty dessert. I want to make this dish for tea with my Grandma!
This looks beautiful. I am a citrus fan, and hope I’ll get to try making this soon, though I might try it with limes.
And a beautiful soufflé it is, too. Looks delicious!
oooh, that looks heavenly. i could just slump right in!
Your life assessment cracked me up, and sounded oh so familiar. I have to do a 10,5 hour intercontinental flight next week, and i love traveling on my own and look forward to seeing my family, but there is other part of me who has to use Bach’s Flower Remedy spray and drink Tension Tamer tea to keep my paranoid brain from working overtime.
I’ll think about your soufflé and I’m going to make it for my love when I come home after two and a half weeks away.
I just tried this recipe on some of my friends for a late afternoon “snack” & it was a HUGE hit. I used Meyer lemons from my backyard tree & they were perfect for this. I did notice that the tops browned (and cracked) a little earlier than I expected-probably my oven was a little too hot-but a little whipped cream & some toasted coconut topped it off & no one even noticed.
I seem to have an overabundance of Key limes right now, so I’m going to try that next!
This was a wonderful, smooth, and delightful lemon recipe! I used fat free milk, a little more lemon juice, and less butter (I am just a little paranoid about fat!) and it turned out PERFECT! I loved how creamy it was, how tart, and how happy it made us! I am afraid I will want to make it all the time now! Thanks for sharing! I love your blog – keep up the good work.
What is it about cranberry juice and ginger ale on airplanes?
I rarely drink either normally but put me on a plane and those are the go-to beverages.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks yummy…
lemon-anything is great – i like how this is all in one dish! sounds perfect.
This sounds so good!
I just finished making this. Oh my goodness, this was FANTASTIC! It was tart and so lemony! I will take anything lemony over chocolate any day of the week. I ate it literally minutes after I took it out of the oven. The cake on top is so soft, creamy and pillowy…is that even a word? I love how the bottom is like warm lemon curd. Thank you SO much for sharing this delicious lemony treat.
ohhhh… i made this yesterday for family and friends. I love it. not only was it easy and fun to make, but it came out delicious! I used 1% milk because that’s all i had around and margarine instead of butter (same reason). I baked it in a rectangular pyrex dish. THANK YOU. I will most definitely make it again. it’s a keeper!
hahaha you’re funny! and this souffle looks AMAZING!
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WOW I think I have a new favorite dessert! I made this last night to balance out spicy samosas and chicken curry. It was fantastic!! I used 3/4 c. 1% milk and 1/4 c. of heavy cream because I thought that would make it close to whole milk (that may be flawed logic, I know!) I topped with home made whipped cream (with vanilla extract and nutmeg) and fresh raspberries. Thank you soo much for sharing!
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This dessert was AMAZING!!
If you’re hesitating at all to make this, just go ahead and make it anyway. Trust me.
My sister and I made it for Mother’s Day and it was perfect, very impressive, and absolutely delicious.
i made this with my sister this afternoon for mother’s day and my family devoured it! we could’ve used a second one, in fact…anyway this dessert is just incredible. the top is so fluffy and moist and soft while the bottom is warm and gooey and the perfect balance of sweet and tart. like a light, summery version of my favorite molten chocolate cake! while it was not as easy as cookies or brownies, this recipe was straightforward and hard to mess up, even with all the egg whites and folding and what not. i will definitely make this impressive and simple recipe again!
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this is amazing. I dare anyone to try it.
I’m baking it as we speak, in honor of the winter solstice. Will probably post a pic on my blog if it works out. So far so good.
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Joy, this was amazing!!! Made it this morning and I can’t gush enough about it. I made another one from another site, that shall remain unmentioned, and it baked up with no pudding on the bottom. I was crushed!! I bought more lemons this morning so I could give your recipe a try. Thanks!!!
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Hi!
Any advice on substituting the flour with something gluten-free? 
This looks dreamy but I can’t have wheat in my diet.