Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

I love sweets..but I often hate that dessert comes at the end of a meal. If you have a great dinner, you're usually too full for a big decadent dessert..and that's why I loved this recipe for Lemon Sponge Cups. I made these for dessert on Easter Sunday. I knew my mom was going to whip up a feast..and she did..with lots of vegetables (yeah Mom for supporting my healthy eating habits!). So, when it came to dessert I didn't want this overly heavy we're way too full just cut me a sliver type of dessert..and these fit the bill! They had a custard base to them, yet the top cooked up in a light fluffy sponge cake ..all with a hint of lemon! This was a perfect end to our Easter and a great understated not too overdone sweet!

holy lemon zest...this gave you the lemony flavor

Some sugar, flour, lemon juice and butter gave me the base

then came the milk to make it a custard

I opted to try and get the mix into some little ramekins..

Thank god for my batter bowl from Pampered Chef..the spout on that bad boy made pouring these out a whole lot easier!

Note to self..when cooking in someone elses oven keep a close eye on your dessert..these were dangerously close to being over done...I got them JUST in the knick of time!

Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

(from http://www.food52.com/)

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 lemon, grated rind and juice
1 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream butter. Add sugar, flour salt, lemon juice and rind. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks; stir in milk. Slowly add second mixture to first mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff; gently fold into mixture. Pour into ramekins or individual souffle dishes and place in pan of hot water. Bake in "moderate" oven (350, in my case) for 45 minutes. You will have a layer of lemon custard, with gorgeous, lightly browned sponge on top. Let cool a bit. Turn out and serve with whipped cream, or serve still in the dish. You can also bake this in one large souffle dish. Aunt Mariah likes to garnish with a thin slice of lemon. .

Just one note...on Easter we let them cool for an hour or two on the counter and they had a warm custardy taste to them. We brought 2 home with us and stuck them in the fridge,  I thought these were so much better chilled. The custard was creamier and the cake more lemony. I'd throw them in the fridge after cooling completely for an hour or two and then serve them. A dollop of whipped cream on top would have also been a great addition!


Enjoy!