This is probably my favorite dessert ever, and I am not given to choosing favorites of anything. But. . . summer berries, tart and creamy lemon pudding, and tender sponge cake? This is as good as it gets.

1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar (see P.S. below)
pinch salt
pinch nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk, or 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 1/2 cup milk, blended
grated rind of 1 lemon
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup orange juice
2 T. melted butter
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup berries (blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries, or a combination)
oil or cooking spray to oil pan

  1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Add buttermilk (or yogurt and milk), lemon rind, lemon juice, butter and yolks. Wisk.
  2. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add 1/4 sugar, a little at a time, until stiff peaks form. Stir some of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest.
  3. Oil a 8-in. square pan and pour in batter. Plop the berries over the top.
  4. Put the pan in a larger pan and fill the larger pan 1 inch deep with hot water. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until cake is golden brown and springy to the touch.
  5. Devour.

P.S. I got to thinking about my taste preferences, and since I really like things tart, perhaps I should warn people to increase the sugar to 2/3 cup if they don’t want as much pucker to their pudding.

–Daisy