I’m officially sick and tired of cold weather and snow. I miss green grass, cropped jeans and flip flops. I want windows open, to grill out doors and go fishing with Pat on the lake. And we’re inching toward spring at a snails pace.

When I’m feeling blah about the weather I like to bake. It’s theraputic, relaxing and of course there’s the whole eating the finished product and all.

Today I baked up a little sunshine in the form of a meyer lemon pudding cake. I haven’t made this in years, but it surely cures my winter blues and lemon cravings.Who would guess that these simple ingredients can turn into such a decadent dessert?

For this Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake Set out:

unbleached all-purpose flour – Gives structure to the cake layer.
granulated sugar (white) – For sweetening and flavor.
fine salt – Use either sea salt or pink himalayan.
eggs (room temperature) – Set out 30 minutes before using or let sit in a bowl of lukewarm water.
unsalted butter (melted and cooled) – Lends flavor and richness.
meyer lemon zest & juice– Lends citrusy flavor.
whole milk – Lends flavor and aids in yielding a tender cake.

What’s the difference between Meyer Lemons and Regular Lemons?

Meyer lemons have a similar shape as regular lemons but its rind is smooth and more golden than yellow. It’s flavor is said to be a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange. To me it’s all the flavor of a lemon minus the cloying sour taste.

Start by measuring and adding 1/2 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set this off to the side for a moment.

Then separate four egg yolks from the whites. Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and the egg whites in a medium sized bowl.

To the egg yolks, add in a tablespoon of melted (cooled) butter and 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest. Whisk until combined and creamy.

Squeeze a couple Meyer lemons and strain the juice, to catch any seeds, until you get 1/3 cup of the Meyer lemon juice.

Pour while whisking it into the egg/butter mixture.

So sunny!

Lastly, alternate with a third of the flour mixture and a third of the (1-1/2 cups) milk.

Whisking after each addition until the mixture is light yellow and all ingredients are combined.

Set this bowl off to the side for a moment.

Add the egg whites to a large bowl.

Whisk (preferably with a electric mixer with a whisk attachment) until the egg whites are thick and leave a stiff peak when tested.

Next add the whipped egg whites into the bowl with egg/butter mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold them into the batter. Stirring too hard will deflate those fluffy egg whites, so go slow and gentle.

You want the batter to be light and foamy.

Pour the lemony batter into an un-greased 3-1/2 quart baking dish. Set the baking dish into a larger pan and fill the larger pan with hot water until it comes up 1/3 of the way up on the outside of baking dish.

Carefully slide the Meyer lemon pudding cake onto the middle rack (or lower third for a smaller oven) in your preheated 350° for 40-45 minutes.

The top of it should be golden and your kitchen should be smelling all sorts of memorable right now! Using oven mitts, carefully remove it from the oven and then remove the Meyer lemon pudding cake from the water bath.

Allow the cake to cool slightly before eating. It doesn’t have to cool completely, but give it about 15 minutes or so.

Dust with powdered sugar, top with either blueberries, strawberries or raspberries. Or eat it as is! It’s lemon pudding cake so it will still be satisfying.

On top is a spongey cake and is easily the softest, loftiest and moistest cake I’ve ever tasted. And it melts into a lemon custardy pudding and holy cow is that good. You must make this as soon as humanly possible. Whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, engagement or job promotion…or heck even a job loss (it cures everything)! DO IT!

How to store and freeze pudding cake:

I fully believe pudding cake is go-to enjoyed the day of making. However here is how to store, freeze and reheat pudding cake.

To store: Once cooled down, pudding cake can be stored in the refrigerator, for 1 week. The cake is go-to enjoyed warm, so certainly reheat it.
To freeze: Place cake in a freezer safe container, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat: Either reheat the cake in the microwave (20 to 30 second spurts until warm) or in a low preheated oven. The cake will be extra moist, as most of the pudding has been soaked up. Once it is warm, some may seep out.