Apologies for the long break since the last post – my past few weeks were filled with eating, sleeping, working, getting the flat ready for Christmas, sleeping, working, buying presents and not much more – no time seemed to be left for my brain to creatively think of something to write. With that in mind I thought I’d reveal a classic winner of wintery indulgent desserts – a self saucing lemon pudding. It’s a favourite in my family, simple to make and always hits the spot after any meal. Perfect for frosty winter days. Not to forget – it also looks impressive and fools guests into thinking you puts lots of effort into making a lemon curd and a sponge topping. Little do they know the two are a result of one quick mixture….. So, if you forgot to make a Christmas pudding two months ago, why not give this dessert a go as an alternative for the 25th December – I’m sure everyone will love it!

Self Saucing Lemon Pudding

adapted from Leith’s How To Cook

Serves 4

You’ll need

15g butter
30g flour
220ml milk
2 eggs, separated
1 lemon, zest and juice
120 g caster sugar + 2 tbsp

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift together the flour and 120g sugar. Add the chilled diced butter and rub into your flour/sugar mixture.
2. Now add the lemon zest, lemon juice and egg yolks. Mix well. Finally add your milk and mix thoroughly until you have a smooth liquid dough.
3. Beat the egg whites until medium stiff then add the 2 tbsp of sugar and continue beating until medium stiff again. Mix one spoon of the egg white into liquid dough mixture to loosen it up.
4. Now fold the rest of the egg whites in carefully, trying to keep as much of the volume as possible. Pour into a 1 litre baking dish.
5. Half fill a roasting tin or bigger baking dish with boiling water to create a water bath. Place your pudding filled dish inside this – the water should come up about half way.
6. Bake in your water bath for about 30 minutes, until you have a golden sponge and skewer inserted about 2-3cm comes out clean. The dough separates into two while baking: a light fluffy sponge on top and a concentrated lemony sauce underneath. NOM.
7. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before indulging. It is best served hot, potentially some fresh berries might be a nice addition.

Rating: 9/10

Look at that amazing lemony gooey-ness revealing itself under the sponge! Simple, hearty, delicious. Definitely a competitor against the classic chocolate fondant.