Helen Goh’s lemon self-saucing pudding with extra zing

June 14, 2024

Serve this citrusy pudding with cream and fresh berries.William Meppem

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6

The appeal of this lemon delicious pudding lies in its lightness of sponge, which is so airy you can barely believe it can carry the fragrant, creamy sauce. It works equally well as a soothing, warm dessert on a cold night or as a satisfying epilogue to a hearty, Sunday-lunch roast.

Yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit with a flavour that combines grapefruit, lemon and mandarin, gives the pudding an intensely pleasing floral note. It’s most easily found bottled in Asian grocers or online. If you can’t find it, substitute with grapefruit, lemon or mandarin juice.

Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

70g unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
200g caster sugar, divided
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
4 large eggs, separated
50g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
70ml lemon juice
50ml yuzu juice
200ml full-cream milk
150ml pouring cream, plus extra to serve
icing sugar for dusting
berries to serve

Method

Step 1
Choose a deep, oven-proof casserole or serving dish (about 23cm in diameter) and place it inside a larger, deep roasting dish that can easily accommodate it.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 175C fan‑forced (195C conventional) and bring a full kettle to the boil.
Step 3
Put the butter in a small saucepan and place over low heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool to tepid.
Step 4
Place 150g of the sugar and the lemon zest in a large mixing bowl and rub together with your fingertips to release the fragrant oils from the zest.
Step 5
Add the egg yolks, whisk to combine, then add the flour and salt. Whisk to combine, then add the melted tepid butter, whisking lightly before adding the lemon and yuzu juices (it’s important to add the liquids gradually so that they combine smoothly into the flour mix). Finally, add the milk and cream and whisk together until the batter is smooth and velvety, then set aside.
Step 6
Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium speed for about 30 seconds until frothy. Gradually drizzle in the remaining 50g of caster sugar and continue to whisk on medium-high speed until peaks form.
Step 7
Remove the bowl from the mixer and using the whisk, stir about one quarter of the egg-white mixture into the lemon yuzu batter. When incorporated, add the remaining egg-white mixture and gently fold into the batter.
Step 8
Pour the batter into the casserole or serving dish (sitting inside the larger roasting dish) and place the whole thing in the preheated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the larger roasting dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of the smaller serving dish.
Step 9
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is light golden-brown and the centre of the pudding springs back when lightly tapped. Remove from the oven and dust the top with a little icing sugar.
Step 10
Spoon portions onto serving plates and scatter over some berries. Pass around a small jug of pouring cream to serve.