Lemon Pudding Cake

I wanted to do something special for a good friend of mine. It was his birthday, and he loves lemon anything. Everyone wants cake for their birthday and pudding just makes it an extra yummy. I was scrolling on Instagram and say a recipe for a Lemon pudding cake and so I said why not, and I love doing small portions. It's nothing like having an individual cake all to yourself. The guilty pleasure of having a whole cake all to oneself that is the perfect little size.

Recipe comes from the Dixie Crystal

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft

• 1 tablespoon

• 2/3 cup buttermilk

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour*

• Zest of 3 lemons, no white bitter pith

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 2/3 cup

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs separated, no yolk traces in egg whites

• 1 tablespoon Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

TOPPING

• handful blueberries (or fruit of choice)

• 1 tablespoon of sugar

• a splash of lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon water (add more if needed. you want a little bit thinner than a paste consistency)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread soft butter into 4 ramekins. Sprinkle evenly with first listed 1 tablespoon sugar. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and set aside.

2. Whisk together buttermilk and flour. Add lemon zest and juice, second listed sugar, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks.

3. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and third listed sugar to medium peaks. Fold gently into lemon/buttermilk mixture.

4. Fill ramekins 7/8 full.

5. Pour water in roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of ramekins.

6. Place in oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes. The cakes will have risen well, and edges will be golden/light brown. Remove from oven.

7. Let sit for 4-5 minutes before serving, or alternatively, turn ramekins upside down onto plates. Remove ramekin.

TOPPING DIRECTIONS

1. in a small saucepan combine blueberries, sugar, vanilla and splash of lemon juice with the 1/4 cup of water. cook until sugar is dissolved, and blueberries began to burst. Mix corn starch and water to form a slurry and slow pour into saucepan and stir until combined. Allow to cook until sauce is thickened. (Sauce should stick to the back of the spoon)

Notes

1. if you don't have buttermilk, you can add white Vinger or lemon juice to whole milk. let it sit for at least 10 minutes. 1 tablespoon for every one cup of milk.

2. I made a blueberry compote to top the cake before serving.