Lemons
By Cat, October 2007 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
See also: 1. Puddings & Frozen Desserts Menu; 2. Canary Steamed Pudding; 3. Lemon Curd
This is not a creamy pudding (like vanilla or tapioca), but rather more like a scuffle or steamed pudding. Nevertheless, it is delicious.
Sweetener options:
The original recipe called for 1 cup white sugar, but I prefer to use less sweetener, and substitute with less processed sweeteners, such as dried sugar cane juice (Rapadura), honey or maple syrup, and stevia, to reduce the sugar impact. If you use white sugar, be sure it is white cane sugar, to avoid GMOs (from sugar beet sugar).
I have insulin resistance, so avoid sugar (even unrefined sugars like Rapadura, honey and maple syrup). I prefer to sweeten primarily with stevia, adding just a bit of honey or maple syrup for the flavor.Another option for me is xylitol, a sugar alcohol, but I like to keep that to a minimum too, because it may also cause insulin spiking.
When using stevia, you’ll get a better tasting product if you mix it with fruit before being adding to a recipe. In this case, it is mixed with the lemon juice.
Rapadura sugar will give this dessert a tan color instead of lemony yellow. Using less of it, or using a Rapadura/white cane sugar combination, will lessen the tan color. Here are my sweetening options:
- ¾ cup white cane sugar
- ¾ cup Rapadura sugar
- ½ cup Rapadura plus ¼ cup white cane sugar
- ½ cup Rapadura or white cane sugar plus ¼ tsp stevia extract powder
- ¼ cup Rapadura or white cane sugar plus ⅜ tsp stevia extract powder
- ¾ cup xylitol (a sugar alcohol; xylitol is a bit sweeter than sugar)
- ½ cup xylitol plus ⅛ tsp stevia extract powder
- ¼ cup xylitol plus ¼ tsp stevia extract powder
- 2 Tbsp Grade-B maple syrup or raw local honey plus ⅜ tsp stevia extract powder (maple syrup and honey are sweeter than sugar)
I do NOT recommend using Splenda, nor agave nectar; regarding these, see also my Sweet Cravings articles (pdf files) on The EssentiaList:
- Sweet Cravings Part 1: Natural Sugar Sweeteners (5 pages)
- Sweet Cravings Part 2: Corn Syrups, Agave Nectar & Aguamiel (6 pages)
- Sweet Cravings Part 3: Stevia, Xylitol and Artificial Sweeteners (6 pages)
Lemon Pudding Cake
This recipe is adapted from the Daily InterLake newspaper, October 7, 2007. In Britain, a pudding is not a custardy thing like Jello pudding, but rather a soft, creamy cake. Or as in the case of this pudding, more like a soufflé. Mmmm. This recipe is similar to (but simpler than) Canary Steamed Pudding.
I’ve written this to use stevia and maple syrup, but you can try any of the sweetener options, above.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅜ tsp stevia extract powder *
- 4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
- 3 Tbsp real butter, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp Grade-B maple syrup*
- 3 Tbsp unbleached white flour
- 1 cup good quality or raw whole milk, or diluted coconut milk
- ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
- fresh raspberries, blueberries or thawed, mixed berries (optional)
- Equipment:
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, or 3 cup soufflé pan (or 5 – 6 cup pudding mold **)
- one large bowls
- one glass or copper bowl (for whipping egg whites)
- egg whip or electric mixer
* NOTE: see sweetening options, above for alternatives.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 3250 F. Grease pan with butter or coconut oil. **
- Stir stevia powder into lemon juice and set aside.
- Separate eggs. If not at room temperature, place in bowls set in a pan of warm water.
- In large bowl, beat butter and maple syrup (or honey, sugar, xylitol) until fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat until well combined. Add lemon juice/stevia mixture and mix to combine. Add flour and beat well. Add milk and stir until well blended. It will be liquidy.
- In a separate squeaky-clean glass bowl, add salt to egg whites and beat until it forms stiff peaks. Fold into lemon mixture using a rubber or silicon spatula. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake** 40 minutes, and check the pudding. If the top is getting too brown, cover with foil. Bake 10 minutes more, then remove to a rack to cool to serving temperature.
** Alternately, it might be possible to steam this pudding cake instead of baking it; refer to Steamed Puddings (About) for instructions. Use 5 or 6 cup (48 oz) pudding mold; butter the inside well. It could take as long as 1 ½ – 2 hours to cook by this method). I’ve not tested steaming.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm or chilled, with raspberries, blueberries or mixed berries. Add a dollop of whipped raw cream.
Testing
Testing 9/9/08: made as written, with stevia and maple syrup. Used raw milk. Tasty, very light and souffle-like. But I think it would be better with a granulated sugar, at least for part of the total sweetener. Next time I’ll try ½ cup xylitol and ¼ tsp stevia instead of 2 Tbsp maple syrup and ⅜ tsp stevia.
References:
- Daily InterLake newspaper, October 7, 2007 (sorry, I didn’t get their original source)
