We had the sweet blessing this weekend of enjoying dinner at our daughter and son-in-law’s when they were hosting some of our precious missionaries. I love fellowship with my girls and their husbands in their homes. They are both terrific homemakers, cooks and bakers, and it’s a joy to watch them serve their families and others with their gifts.
When Alli invited us to join them for dinner, I asked what I could bring to contribute to the meal. She said she hadn’t planned anything for dessert, if I would like to make something sweet. I was happy about that!
She told me she was making baked chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, asparagus, carrots and rolls. Since it was going to be a filling menu, I wanted to bring something that tasted a little light. Suddenly, a recipe came to mind that I hadn’t made in a good while – Lemon Pudding Cakes.
I’m not sure if there’s any better dessert for a meal than a moist chocolate cake! I’m happy to share a recipe with you that is amazing, and also reduced in fat and calories!!
Father’s Day dinner was a collaboration between my daughter Alli and me. She did the main meal and we ate that at her house. She fixed a Roasted chicken done in her air fryer on the slow cook mode. When we got home from church she crisped up the skin in the air fryer and it was so good! She and I both LOVE the crispy skin on roasted chicken! She also fixed a delicious salad and potatoes.
I got to fix dessert and we came to my house to enjoy it…and let the boys play in the pool we had just put up!
It was then that I remembered this fantastic Lemon Pudding Cake! This is baked in a water bath and it allows a soft sponge cake to go to the bottom and a luscious pudding layer to go to the top, creating a heavenly dessert!
My favorite way to make this is in small ramekins., but you can bake it in one large dish. After it cools 10 minutes, you invert it onto a platter or dessert plate. I like it served warm, but you could do it ahead and serve it refrigerated.
Lemon Pudding Cake
1/3 Cup Butter, softened 1 cup sugar, divided 2 eggs, separated 2 Tbs. lemon juice 1 Tbs. grated lemon rind 1/3 cup flour 1 cup milk Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolks, lemon juice and rind. Add flour; mix well. Stir in milk. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter; pour into 8 6 oz. custard cups. Set custard cups in baking pan; pour in boiling water to 1/2-inch depth. Bake at 350 degrees, 35-40 minutes. Remove from water; cool 10 minutes. Invert on dessert dishes. Makes 8 servings. To make in a 1-quart casserole dish – Prepare recipe as directed. Pour batter into dish. Place into a pan larger than your dish and pour 1/2 inch boiling water into large pan. Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Invert onto serving plate.
There are three outstanding things in the title of this post:
Brownies!
One pan
Light
That means I can have one of my favorite quick desserts (brownies) made with fewer calories and fewer dishes to clean up! Yes indeed!
I’ve been making this recipe for years. This came from my Better Homes and Gardens Family Favorites Made Lighter Cookbook. When I decided this would be my husband’s birthday treat (with ice cream, of course!), I went looking on my blog recipe index and couldn’t believe I’ve never shared the recipe here! Well, let’s fix that today!
I love, love, love my Deep Dish Brownies, but they have ALL the fat and calories that most recipes like this would have. There’s no need to blow eating moderately healthy just because there’s a celebration! There are lots of great dessert recipes that have fewer calories and fat grams…and this is one of them!
All you need to pull out to mix it up is a medium-size sauce pan.
Everything gets mixed into this pan and then poured into a 9x9x2″ greased pan! Here’s the simple recipe:
Cake Brownies
1/4 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 Egg White
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/3 Cup low-fat Milk
3/4 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
In medium saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder till combined.
Add egg white and vanilla to saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, lightly beat just till combined. Add flour, milk, baking powder and baking soda. Beat with the spoon till well combined. Stir in nuts. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 16 – 18 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Drizzle with Chocolate Powdered Sugar Icing. Let stand 1/2 hour or till icing is set. Cut into bars.
Chocolate Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small mixing bowl stir together 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla and enough milk (1-2 Tbl) to make drizzling consistency.
In about 30 minutes you will have brownies cooling on your counter! And since these are lighter than most recipes, you can feel good about adding that scoop of ice cream to your square!
These have a great cake-like texture, and are very moist. You won’t miss any of the fattening things they left out of the recipe and I doubt you’ll mix all the extra bowls! Simple and simply good!
This past weekend my husband was on a country drive in South Carolina and spotted fresh, local strawberries for sale at a roadside stand! Â They are so sweet and good! Â I had a some with my yogurt Sunday morning. Â I had some on a scoop of ice cream Sunday night. Â I flash froze some for muffins, and I have a dish of some sliced and ready for other treats.
One of those treats is my favorite recipe for shortcakes from Cooking Light.  I’ve shared these in the past, but it’s  been a while and these are on my mind, so I wanted to share it again. Â
I love a sweet biscuit-like shortcake, rather than the store-bought sponge cakes.  These are so much better than the ones in the store!
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups halved strawberries, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
Preparation
Combine 1 cup strawberry halves, 1/3 cup sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Stir in 2 1/2 cups strawberry halves. Cover and chill.
Preheat oven to 425°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat dough into a 6 x 4-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 6 squares. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
 I just thought you’d want a heads-up for a great shortcake recipe before your first batch of local berries is purchased! These would be great for Mother’s Day lunch!
Are local berries in where you live? Â What will you make with them?
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