7:06 pm - Wed, Jan 19, 2011

3 notes

Lemon Pudding Cake with Berries and Chantilly cream

In the spirit of the winter months that are upon us, I wanted to do something festive and fabulous for all of our readers. Of course I wanted to provide an easy recipe that is quick and tasty, but I really wanted to pump up the “wow” factor for everyone, considering that Valentine’s day is upon us. Maybe this will be a good practice-run for your Valentine’s day dinner/dessert? Either way, you’ll be wow-ing yourself on how simple it all is to create this stunning of a dish.

Lemon Pudding Cake w/ Berries and Chantilly Cream

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 stick(4 Tbsp) butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Separate the egg yolks and whites, and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and 2/3 cups of the sugar. Add the lemon juice, buttermilk and lemon zest, and whisk until smooth. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they’re broken up and slightly fluffy, then whisk in the melted butter. Once it turns the right color, combine the two mixtures with(you guessed it) your whisk.

Meanwhile, in your electric mixer(unless you want to be crazy and do it by hand) whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Put the speed up to high and slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until soft peaks are formed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the whites to the egg-lemon mixture. Be careful so as not to deflate the bubbles, but the mixture should be smooth.

Portion the cake mixture into either 8 individual ramekins(4 oz. should do) or into an 8-inch cake pan. Either way, you should bake this cake in a water bath so as to make sure the cooking is even. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops just crack and are golden-brown but the centers are still jiggly.

To present as above, flip over the ramekins onto their own plates. Pipe Chantilly cream on top and garnish with strawberries, either crushed or fresh.

To make Chantilly Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream(whipping cream)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In an electric mixer, whip the cream until thick and fluffy. Halfway through, add the vanilla and the sugar. Put the cream into a piping bag with a star tip, and decorate accordingly. If you like, crush a pint of strawberries that have been quartered and de-stemmed with 1/8 cup sugar and a shot of Triple-sec liqueur. Or make strawberry fans. Whichever you think is prettier, you do. This is your “Wow” factor, right?