A pudding cake is a magical dessert — not in a flashy, soufflé
kind of way, but quainter, more “Bewitched” than “WandaVision.”
What it lacks in billowing drama, a pudding cake makes up for in
both coziness and ease, with one straightforward batter baking into two
distinct layers. On top is an airy sponge cake that puffs ever so slightly in
the oven’s heat. Right beneath it lies the pudding, a creamy custard that can
be flavored with anything — whether it’s chocolate, rose water or citrus.
اضافة اعلان
As in much culinary magic, fluffy, beaten egg whites are at the
root of it all. As the air trapped in the egg white foam heats, it expands and
rises, causing the batter at the tops of the ramekins to lift. The bottoms of
the ramekins, however, are immersed in a water bath. The water keeps the
temperature down, so the batter at the bottom cooks more slowly, which in turn
makes it runny and custardy. The higher the water level on the sides of the
ramekins, the more pudding you’ll end up with; keep the water level low and you’ll
get more cake.
Being a lemon lover of the highest order — I’ll always choose
lemon desserts over chocolate — I flavored these pudding cakes with lemon juice
and grated zest, for extra zing. Then, to make it even more bracing, I added an
acidic dash of buttermilk. The pudding here ends up tasting like lemon curd, a
balance of tart and sweet.
You could sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar and call it a
day. But I like the way scarlet raspberries macerated in a little sugar look
against the pale yellow cakes. Use whatever ripe, juicy fruit you like here:
Strawberries, blueberries, cherries and blackberries would be just as striking.
And though they won’t offer much color contrast, sliced peaches and apricots
would be wonderfully succulent against the lemony acidity here when their
season finally arrives.
These cakes are at their most tender served within an hour of
baking, but they’ll still be delicious when they’ve cooled to room temperature
a few hours later. Or chill them overnight and serve them straight from the
fridge. The cake part may not be quite as fluffy, but the zippy lemon flavor
will still shine bright.
—
Recipe: Lemon Pudding Cakes With Sugared
Raspberries
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 1 hour, plus cooling
1/4 cup/57 grams unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooled,
plus more for greasing the ramekins
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup/200 grams sugar, plus more as needed
3/4 cup/180 milliliters buttermilk (or use plain yogurt thinned
with milk)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)
1/2 cup/120 milliliters lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
1/3 cup/43 grams all-purpose flour
6 ounces/170 grams raspberries
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Place
them in any large baking pan where they can sit without touching one another,
such as a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, egg yolks, 3/4 cup
sugar, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice, and salt until smooth. Whisk in the
flour until well combined.
3. Using an electric mixer (either handheld or a stand mixer
fitted with the whisk attachment), beat egg whites on medium speed until they
are thick, white and very foamy, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase speed to high and
gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until stiff and
glossy peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes longer.
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about a third of the egg
whites into the lemon mixture, taking care not to deflate the whites. When no
white streaks remain, fold in remaining whites, working carefully. Stop folding
when most of the second batch of whites are mixed in, but a few white streaks
remain.
5. Spoon the batter into the ramekins. Transfer the pan of
ramekins to the oven. Carefully, so you don’t splash the cakes, pour enough
very hot tap water into the pan to come about halfway up the sides of the
ramekins. The higher the water level, the more pudding and less cake you’ll
have.
6. Bake until the puddings are puffed and lightly browned on
top, 35 to 40 minutes. Take care not to overbake, or there won’t be any pudding
at the bottom of the ramekins. Carefully transfer the ramekins from the pan to
a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. (The combination of
tongs or a spatula, plus oven mitts, works well for moving the cakes.)
7. As the cakes bake, mix the raspberries and a few pinches of
sugar in a bowl, mashing the raspberries slightly to release their juices. Let
the raspberries macerate until the sugar melts, about 15 minutes. Then, taste
and stir in more sugar if the berries are very tart.
8. Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature, with the sugared
berries and some of their syrup.
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