Dandy® Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

Although I have cooked with Meyer lemons, lately they've become my muse-my obsession; and I'm sorry I haven't given Meyer lemons as much attention as they deserve! I was a bit concerned because the recipe didn't indicate to use a bain-marie but the finished product didn't seem to require one. Here's a cake recipe I found recently online that uses this exquisite citrus fruit. Easy! From dudafresh.com. The question remains: Does one eat Meyer lemon pudding cake with a spoon or fork?

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 3  teaspoons  finely grated meyer lemon zest
• 3 -4  meyer lemons (do not substitute standard lemons)
• 3⁄4 cup  unbleached cane sugar
• 1⁄4 cup unbleached flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3  large eggs, separated
• 1  cup  whole milk, at room temperature (for best flavor use whole milk or a combination of milk, half and half and or or heavy cream for ext)
• 4  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

• Garnish (optional)

•  real  whipped cream
•  meyer lemon zest
•  lemon verbena leaves or  mint leaf

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
3. Finely grate 3 teaspoons zest then squeeze 1/3 cup juice from the lemons; set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, butter, Meyer lemon zest and juice; add this mixture to the dry ingredients and combine.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until (soft peaks) form.
7. Start by stirring one third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten, gently fold in the the remaining egg whites. Note: the batter will be thin.
8. Pour the batter into buttered baking pan and bake until golden 35-40 minutes.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.
10. If desired, garnish the top of each serving with a dollop of real whipped cream and/or a few strands of zest and a whole mint leaf or lemon verbena leaf.
11. Note: The consistency of this dessert is more pudding-like than cake-like. It will firm up slightly once it cools. I discovered it's best to let the cake sit for about 10-15 minutes after removing from the oven. Before serving, take a wet knife and run it around the edges of the pan to gently loosen the cake.