Lemon delicious
Lemon delicious pudding
A lemon sponge batter that separates in the oven into a light golden top over a sharp lemon sauce. Baked in a water bath, served warm.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Lemon delicious pudding.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Lemon delicious is a self-saucing pudding. One batter of butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice, egg yolks, a little self-raising flour and milk is lightened with whisked egg whites and baked in a water bath. In the oven it separates: a soft, golden sponge rises to the top and a thin, tart lemon custard settles underneath. The batter looks curdled before it goes in. That is normal; it is the acid meeting the milk. Bake it until the top springs back, serve it warm, and make sure every spoon reaches the bottom of the dish.
What you'll need
8 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Ingredients
- To serve
Ingredients
Ingredients
To serve
- Cream, or vanilla ice cream (optional)200 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180°C and butter a 1.5 litre baking dish. Boil a kettle and find a roasting tin the dish fits in.
5 min180°C
Step 2
Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
5 min
Step 3
Stir in the flour, then the milk and lemon juice, a little at a time. The batter will look thin and curdled, which is how it should look.
4 min
Step 4
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to soft peaks. Fold them into the batter in two goes, gently, until there are no big lumps of white left.
5 min
Tip: Fold, do not stir. The whites make the sponge layer.
Step 5
Pour the batter into the dish, set it in the roasting tin and pour boiling water into the tin to come halfway up the dish. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and springs back when pressed.
45 min180°C
Watch: Lift the tin out slowly and level; the water is close to boiling.
Step 6
Leave it for 5 minutes, dust with icing sugar and serve warm with cream, spooning down to the sauce at the bottom.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 423 kcal
- Protein
- 6.7 g
- Carbs
- 47.1 g
- Fat
- 24.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 14.4 g
- Fibre
- 1.3 g
- Sugar
- 38.3 g
- Sodium
- 65 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Lemons → Limes, or passionfruit pulp with some lemon juice
Lime works as it is. Passionfruit needs lemon juice alongside for enough acid to set the sauce.
Tips
- Meyer lemons give a softer, more floral sauce. Use a little less sugar with them.
- Individual ramekins take 25 to 30 minutes in the same water bath.
History & culture
It is the pudding for a glut of lemons, and in suburban Australia the glut is reliable: a backyard Eureka or Lisbon lemon tree drops fruit all winter. It follows Sunday roasts, gets made when people visit, and is eaten with cream or vanilla ice cream. New Zealand cooks make it in exactly the same way.
Self-saucing lemon puddings turn up in British and American cookbooks under names such as lemon sponge pudding and lemon surprise, and probably go back to the nineteenth century. Australian and New Zealand community cookbooks made lemon delicious the local name, probably by the early twentieth century, and both countries still claim it. Cheap ingredients kept it on the table through the Depression and wartime rationing.
Traditional — Some recipes use more flour for a firmer sponge and less sauce; others push the juice up for a sharper sauce. The proportions here aim for an even split.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Lemon delicious take?
1 hr 5 min all in — 20 min prep, 45 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Oven, Mixing bowl, Baking tray.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list a salt amount. We will not invent one.
How much sugar?
200 g (caster) of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Lemons → Limes, or passionfruit pulp with some lemon juice. Lime works as it is. Passionfruit needs lemon juice alongside for enough acid to set the sauce.
What should I watch for?
Lift the tin out slowly and level; the water is close to boiling.
Any tips from this recipe?
Meyer lemons give a softer, more floral sauce. Use a little less sugar with them. Individual ramekins take 25 to 30 minutes in the same water bath.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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