Comfort food- A dedication to Pudding Cake

I love pudding cake. It has to be one of my all-time favorite desserts and comfort foods. As I posted a fabulous blueberry pudding cake a few weeks ago, I thought I would share two other favorites of mine. The first is a delightful lemon-blackberry pudding cake. This one is extremely light and fluffy- and glowing with lemon flavor. It can be made with fresh or bottled lemon juice- although the lemon flavor is much brighter, and really shines when using freshly squeezed juice. The blackberries are the versatile part of the dish. Feel free to substitute raspberries or blueberries- or a combo of all three. It's delicious anyway you make it. The second pudding cake is chocolate heaven- also called Brownie Pudding Cake. How can you beat a chocolate cake floating on a warm chocolate pudding. All it needs is a bit of whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream to finish it off. On a particularily sinful evening, I may even add a drizzle of caramel sauce to the top- but mostly I eat it just as it is. I usually leave the nuts out of the actual recipe, and occasionally sprinkle them on the whipped cream as well. The recipe doubles, triples, etc. very easily.

So enjoy the pudding cakes! I post these specifically for the people who have been enjoying the blueberry pudding cakes. Gives these ones a try- you won't be sorry. And let me know if you have a favorite pudding cake. I will try and track the recipe down and post it for you!


Blackberry-Lemon Pudding Cake


1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups blackberries
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl; add the buttermilk, lemon rind, lemon juice, butter, and egg yolks, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into the buttermilk mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Fold in blackberries.
Pour the batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Place in a larger baking pan; add hot water to larger pan to depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
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NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 285(23% from fat); FAT 7.2g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.8g,poly 1.8g); PROTEIN 6g; CHOLESTEROL 89mg; CALCIUM 86mg; SODIUM 198mg; FIBER 3.3g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.2gCooking Light, JUNE 2001

Brownie Pudding Cake
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup boiling water

4 servings
In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder, and the baking powder.
Add milk, oil, and vanilla.
Stir until smooth.
Stir in nuts.
Transfer batter to an ungreased 1-quart casserole.
In a small bowl stir together 1/3 cup sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoon s cocoa powder.
Gradually stir in the boiling water.
Pour the mixture evenly over batter in casserole.
Bake in a 350 degree oven about 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean.
Serve Warm.