Lemon Cake Pudding

Oma's old Betty Crocker Cook Book

There's a story that goes with this recipe.  Oma would make Lemon Cake Pudding (LCP) when we were kids .... not frequently, but as a treat now and then. If you asked me what foods were favorite childhood memories, this would probably be #2 on the list, right behind the 'Escalloped Tuna Potato Casserole'. During my senior year in high school or maybe freshman year in college, Oma decided to make the LCP. As she leaned over to put the LCP in the oven (it has to be in a water bath), her back went out. I don't remember what happened to the LCP, but I do know that she ended up on the den floor and we had to call the rescue squad for a trip to the hospital!

The texture of this dessert is what interested us as kids (and still does) - cake on top and a lemon pudding, almost a 'sauce', on the bottom. How the cake/sauce separation happens is a mystery to me because when you mix it all up and pour it in the baking dish, everything looks like a thick lemon soup.  This would be a nice treat for company - light and lemony, plus it looks like a lot of work, but it's really not.


Yesterday, I made this for Oma's Mother's Day special treat. She seems to think the last time she made LCP was the time she messed up her back .... a long, long time ago. The recipe is out of an old battered/tattered/pages-falling-out Betty Crocker Cook Book that she got when she was first married ..... definitely and "oldie-but-goodie" Oma/family favorite.

Sift together into a mixing bowl:

• 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Stir in:

• 1-1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind (1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 eggs yolks, well beaten
• 1 cup milk

Fold in:

• 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Pour into a 1 quart casserole (6-1/2 ") or 6 custard cups.
Set in pan of water (1" deep).
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
Serve warm or cold (refreshing in warm weather), with or without whipped cream.

Serves 6


Cooking notes:

• We have always used an old Corningware 1-3/4 qt. baking dish & the LCP fills it up - I can't imagine using something smaller.
• The LCP comes out of the oven with the cake top puffed up and looking great ..... and then it falls. This is disappointing, but perfectly normal.
• Variations on this recipe (substitutes for the lemon):

Lime juice/rind

Orange juice/rind

Pineapple - follow recipe exactly except use 1/2 cup milk, only 1 tbsp. lemon juice, and add 1/4 cup drained crushed pineapple and 1/4 cup pineapple juice.

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