You know when you use a name to describe something and you think everybody else uses it too, only to find out that maybe they don’t? And, that maybe it’s just a name that your family uses, and come to think of it now, the name, while perfect to you, is sorta, kinda sounding now a bit childish, babyish even ….? That could be what’s going in when I talk about the cakey/self-saucing pudding type dessert Lemon Delicious.
There’s no doubt, that it IS lemony, and that it IS delicious. But I guess as a name, the delicious bit doesn’t give much a way, and there IS sooooo much to give away.
Lemon delish is in class of its own. Made from a very liquidy batter, it separates as it bakes (helped by using a water bath in the oven) to create two layers of deliciousness: one, a tangy runny sauce; the other, a fluffy, almost sponge (but not as precious) like top. The ingredients are transformed in the oven as if by magic and the resulting texture is the just da bomb.
In our house, it is a total winter fave. I scoffed into Lemon Delicious growing up in Australia but these days, I can’t help but Italianize it, splashing in a healthy glug of the local digestivo limoncino for some extra punch. The photo below features hubby’s homemade limoncino, stored in a bottle from the days when he made it with a colleague called Gino. And yep, you guessed it, they called it LimonGino. Boom, boom !!
I tell you, it’s all about names.
Lemon Delicious
Serves *only 4* – be sure to double it for larger crowds !!!!
- 60g butter, at room temp plus a little extra for greasing the baking dish
- 1 cup caster sugar ( ¼cup plus ¾cup ), plus a little extra to line the baking dish
- 3 eggs, separated
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup plain flour, sifted
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- 30ml limoncino *optional
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Select a 6-cup baking dish (forget using a spingform or other cake tin with collapsible sides – the cake mixture is much too liquidy and may get away!). Lightly grease the inside of the dish with butter and dust with a little caster sugar, shaking off any excess.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with ¾cup of caster sugar until light and creamy. Add egg yolks one at a time, incorporating each one well before adding the next. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and mix well. Fold in the flour alternatively with the milk to give a very liquid mixture. If using, fold in the limoncino.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Add in the remaining ¼cup of caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake mixture, taking care not to overmix (a non-homogenous, lumpy batter is fine – go with a light hand to avoid losing all the air that you’ve just whisked into the egg whites).
Gently (there’s that word again) pour the lemon mixture into the prepared dish and place it a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to come half-way up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 30 -35 mins or until golden and well risen.
Serve warm, each portion including some of the cake-like top and the tangy sauce beneath.
wow, I can’t wait to make it