Lemon Sponge Pudding

Joanna's food is looking for some inspiring pudding ideas, so tonight I made a soft lemon sponge pudding. The pudding has a perfect delicate balance of lemon and sweetness that will melt right in your mouth. These little sponge puddings make a perfect dessert for a couple because this recipe makes just two small servings.

Lemon Sponge Pudding

1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of unbleached white flour
pinch of salt
1/3 cup of milk or buttermilk
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the flour and salt. Next whisk in the milk, butter and egg yolk. Now whisk in the lemon rind and the lemon juice.

In another medium sized bowl, beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Stir about 1/4 of the egg white mixture until the lemon mixture, then fold in the rest of the egg white and sugar into the lemon mixture.

Divide the batter into two 3/4 cup souffle cups. Transfer the cups to a 8 X 14 inch loaf pan. Pour boiling water into the loaf pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the souffle cups. Carefully place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the tops are lightly brown and set, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool for about five minutes. Remove the souffle cups from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool - about 30 minutes. Can be served warm or cool.