Well I must admit that is has been way too long since my last post. Many things have happened and in a way, I wish that I would have continued to post here over the years during my wonderful adventures around Europe tasting and cooking so many new things. As usual, everything I cook, must have my very own and personal Mexican touch. Today we are living very different times from when I posted last. We are living challenging times and there is a pandemic affecting our entire world. We have been forced to stay home so we can do our part and slow the virus that is affecting many, and as part of being home together, cooking of course has been one of our daily activities. My girls are now much older but still very enthusiastic about cooking so we've been doing "tea time" every day between 4pm-6pm and use this time to spend time as a family talking and enjoying each others' company. Living in London for a while made us appreciate this tradition and we have totally embrace it. Last week I made these lemon pudding cakes and they were a delight. The cake came up spongy and fluffy while the bottom was filled with lemon pudding; made a mixed berry compote and just brought all those flavors to the next level. It is a bit time consuming but I can assure you, it is worth it. The baking process is very similar to making a flan so you can achieve the fluffy and velvety texture in the same bite. Just so you know, over the years I've turned to be #gluenfree and #dairyfree so while I still cook and bake as usual, I've been slowly moving my recipes to fit my new dietary needs. You can always substitute ingredients to gluten and dairy as you desire.
Provecho!
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut and almond milk
½ cup heavy whipping coconut cream
3 tablespoons of grated lemon zest
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
¼ cup gluten free flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs separated, plus 2 egg whites
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For the compote:
1 tbsp. coconut oil (butter flavor)
2 cups of mixed berries (make sure they are small pieces to avoid large chunks in the sauce)
2 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven at 325F
- Bring the milk and cream to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the cream starts reaching boiling point (see small bubbles around the inside rim of the pan), add the lemon zest and stir. Turn the heat off, cover the saucepan and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
- In the meantime, damp a thin kitchen towel and place it at the bottom of a large sauce pan. Place the ramekins on top and fill the roast pan with water until the ramekins are submerged about half way. Set aside.
- Using the stand mixer fitter with whisk attachment, whip all the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy (about a minute). Increase the speed to medium as you continue to whip whites to soft and lightly firm peaks. Gradually add ¼ cup of sugar and whip until glossy, soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In a bowl, strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer pressing the lemon zest to extract any liquid left. Discard the lemon zest.
- Whisk ¾ cups of sugar, the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, lemon juice. Once incorporated, at very low speed, whisk the batter and slowly add the lemon milk until fully incorporated. Be careful not to add it too soon or the batter will curd, must temper the batter slowly.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no clumps or streaks remain.
- Divide batter evenly among ramekins (ramekins should be nearly full). Bake until cake is set and pale golden brown and pudding layer registers 175F center, about 55 minutes (insert the thermometer but make sure you pull it out about ¼ of an inch of the ramekin so you get an accurate reading).
- Remove pan from oven and let ramekins Stan in the water bath for 10 minutes. Transfer ramekins to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
- While the ramekins cool, melt the coconut butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the berries, sugar and salt, bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer stirring occasionally. Allow to thicken (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Check tasting (sometimes a bit of salt will improve flavoring without needing to add more sugar)
Enjoy!
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