Lemon Pudding

Many people ask here for a Lemon Pudding which is tart and not too sweet.I thought this might be a worthy candidate to start a thread with, because theNational Radio chef also gives the history of it.

Chef: Joan Bishop as heard on Nine To Noon Monday 25 June 2012
From Southern Woman’s Kitchen by Joan Bishop
Published by Random House

This is a magical pudding. As it bakes, the pudding separates and the delicate, softly set sponge cake floats to the top and the sweet-sour lemon-flavoured sauce sinks to the bottom.

I wondered about the origins of this recipe as most of my New Zealand-born friends remember it fondly from their childhood. My English friends, however, do not recall it at all.

I have found recipes for Lemon Delight, Lemon Sponge Custard, Lemon Pudding, Lemon Cheese Pudding and Lemon Sauce Pudding. In each recipe, the ingredients and the method are basically the same,only the name changes.

I checked my reference books and The American Century Cookbook by Jean Anderson traces the recipe back to Mrs Rorer’s Philadelphia Cookbook (1886). She has a recipe for a sour lemon pudding called Tout Fait into which the egg whites, ‘beaten to a stiff froth’, are folded in just before baking. The ingredients and the method are the same(the casserole dish is set in a shallow pan of hot water while baking).What happened after 1886 and when did the recipe arrive in New Zealand!

I rang Helen Leach, emeritus professor of anthropology, who has a vast collection of early New Zealand recipe books and after a little research she was able to fill in some of the gaps. Twenty-seven years elapsed before a similar recipe appeared in print. In 1913, the Boston Cooking School in America published a recipe for Lemon Sponge Pie, exactly the same dessert baked in a pie shell. It caught on in New Zealand very quickly with the identical recipe appearing in 1915 in the 7th edition of the St Andrews Cookery Book. It wasn’t until 1930 that the recipe as we know it today, same ingredients, same method but minus the pie shell, appeared in the North East Valley Presbyterian Church recipe book, Dainty Recipes, as Delicious Pudding.

I do not particularly like overly sweet desserts so this is a great favourite mine. With its golden, feather light sponge atop the sharpest lemon curd, this is a pudding that deserves to be served more often.

I prefer to serve this dessert at room temperature because the flavours develop more as it cools. It is also convenient as the pudding can be removed from the oven a couple of hours or so prior to serving, freeing up the oven for other cooking.

There are many recipes for Lemon Delicious but the quantities are usually to serve four. I have increased these a little and this is sufficient to feed six people or four very hungry ones.

(Serves 5–6)

Ingredients
4 large eggs, size 7, separated
200g sugar
30g melted butter
40g self-raising flour
grated zest of 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice
1½ cups standard milk
Method
Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Lightly butter the sides and base of a deep7-cup capacity ovenproof dish. I use a round dish 22cm in diameter and 6½cm deep.

Beat the egg yolks, sugar and melted butter together until thick and creamy. Stir in the flour, grated zest and the lemon juice. Mix in the milk.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. With a large metal spoon carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture.

Pour into the prepared dish and place it in a shallow pan containing2cm of hot water. Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes until firm on top and golden brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature just as it is or with cream or lightly sweetened yoghurt.

This is one that I'm definitely going to make - thanks elliehen.

that isjustalargeingredoflemoncheesepudding
juniormasterchef1weegirlmadeitonthere

She did say (above): "I have found recipes for Lemon Delight, Lemon Sponge Custard, Lemon Pudding, Lemon Cheese Pudding and Lemon Sauce Pudding. In each recipe, the ingredients and the method are basically the same, only the name changes."

If a wee girl can make it, there's hope for us all ;)

Another name for it is Lemon Delicious.

I used to make the lemon cheese pudding recipe from the earlier Edmonds books. It was a firm favourite and one I served to guests. Now I'd not make it because hubby is diabetic and so the sugar content is inappropriate. However another difference I did note before I stopped making it, was that now we don't have the real silver top milk, the blue top or the reconstituted silver top substitute didn't seem to really cut it for the quality of the recipe.

Just reporting back to say I made this tonight and it's a winner.Next time I would combine the beaten egg whites a bit more thoroughly because I left it a bit 'bobbly' and it browned unevenly.not the fault of the recipe.I'd put it on a rack below the middle of the oven too.

This has been a firm favourite in our house for 50yrs. If I ever wanted my SonIL to come fix my computer he would only do it if I made him this pudding for dinner dessert, and when my DIL came as well those two would fight over who got the dish to scrape out the last vestige.

Lemon Delicious is one of my favourites. I found this one (maybe in here) which is VERY easy and turns into a similar pudding. If you don't have time to make Lemon Delicious but want a fast easy Lemon Pudding try this

LAZY LEMON PIE

1 cup sugar
4 eggs
100 grams melted butter
1/2 cup plain flour
3/4 cup coconut
zest of 2 lemons
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup milk
Place all ingredients in a processor or bowl and blend together.
Pour the batter into a 23 cm pie dish.
Bake at 170C for 45 minutes or until pie is turning dark golden on top and the filling is set

I remember sitting through numerous Archaeology lectures on Helen Leach's research.Never once was her penchant for collecting recipe books mentioned!A serious oversight by the Auckland Uni's anthropology dep. IMO.

I've never made anything like this recipe Elliehen - it sounds scrumptious.

Yum, I have lemons on my tree that are going to be made into these puddings toot sweet!

I made Lemon Delicious last night and it was a bit of a disaster, but still edible!We had it when it was still warm and the sauce was very runny.I wondered if it was because my 2 lemons had heaps of juice and our milk is 'light blue'.

So next time I decide to make it I will get 'decent' milk.My sister always buys 'silver' top milk and her baking is much better than mine!

Our lemon tree is dripping with lemons (and always has been) so today I decided to make some 'lemon drink' which we always had as kids.2lbs sugar in the reciped!OMGbut I made it (it is a concentrate) had a drink, and it was just as I remember!

I don't cook much as I am no longer able to stand for very long, but these lemons have really got me going!

I was brought up with Lemon Delicious as my mother's special dessert, and I made it regularly for decades.It always varied in texture - the ideal was a very soft custardy base and a light spongey top , but sometimes it was really runny and other times too firm - and I think the variables were the size of the lemons and the size of the eggs.Whole milk will taste better but I don't think it will influence the texture.

The other variable is the size of the baking dish - make sure to use the size specified in the recipe.

DT4 - do you have any low carb lemon desserts ideas!

Lemon Possets (Lime is even better).

I've made this heaps, and found you just have to gentle it along until the custard sets. It can be made gluten free by using ground almonds instead of flour, and can be started off at home in a dish of water for 45mins, then left to set in an oven at 120°C (no water dish required) for a couple of hours at your friends' place if you are going out. - Yeah, we have a sad life, our big nights out are cooking and eating with friends. :D - It actually lookspretty good written down! lol.

Thanks for this recipe. I had a similar one but yours is better. I made it tonight, it was so good, we all enjoyed it.

davidt4 do you mind posting the lime posset recipe for me pls!

Lemon (or lime) Posset
makes 4

500ml double cream
150g pale palm sugar
75ml lemon juice

Put the cream and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and leave to bubble for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time. Reduce the heat so that the mixture doesn't boil over, and let it bubble enthusiastically for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to settle. Pour into four small wine glasses or cups and leave to cool. Refrigerate at a couple of hours before serving, better overnight.

Make this dessert often. We call it lemon delicious. You can also do lime or lemon and passionfruit.

like cooks essentials, I too make lemon delicious regularly, Have also substituted the lemons for limes, oranges, tangeloes and grapefruit. It is niciest left to cool so that the sauce on the bottom has time to set properly.

Terraalba, I am diabetic also but what I do is use less sugar ie ¼ cup sugar instead of ½ cup or substitute it. Pudding still comes out the same, if you do all the other things right as per recipe. I use the edmonds one.