There’s nothing like a classic self-saucing pudding to warm you up on a cool night, and this version – sometimes known as Lemon Delicious Pudding, a firm favourite on Australian dinner tables for generations – is sure to do the trick. It has the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, with a light, golden sponge on top and a delicious lemon sauce that forms underneath as it bakes.

The secret to keeping it light and fluffy is to fold the egg white mixture in carefully, rather than stirring, so you don’t knock out all the little pockets of air you’ve worked to create when beating the eggs. Get that step right, and you’ll be rewarded with a pudding that separates beautifully into a soft sponge on top and a silky lemon sauce below.

Classic Lemon Delicious Pudding

Serves 6 | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• 160ml (⅔ cup) fresh lemon juice
• 330ml (1⅓ cups) reduced-fat milk
• ½ cup self-raising flour
• 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
• Pure icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease six 250ml ovenproof dishes with melted butter. In a bowl, add the egg yolks, lemon rind, lemon juice, milk, flour and ⅔ cup of the caster sugar. Whisk until smooth.
2. With an electric beater, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining caster sugar and continue mixing until the mixture is thick and glossy.
3. Fold a quarter of the egg white mixture into the lemon mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest.
4. Pour evenly into the prepared dishes and place them in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes (this water bath is what gives the pudding its self-saucing texture).
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the puddings are golden.
6. Carefully remove the dishes from the roasting pan and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Tips

• Serve warm, straight from the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of cream to balance the tanginess of the lemon.
• Take care when removing the dishes from the water bath, as both the water and the dishes will be very hot — tongs or a sturdy oven mitt make this much easier.
• Room-temperature eggs whip to a better volume than cold eggs straight from the fridge, so take them out ahead of time if you can.
• This pudding is best enjoyed the day it’s made, while the contrast between the soft sponge and silky sauce is at its best.