Easter
Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups
Popular on Food52
131 Reviews
gremolata
March 27, 2024
This is my favorite dessert ever.There is something elegant about it ,even though is is is homespun, simple ingredients.I have made it many times! Soemtimes I wish I had some in the refrigerator for a midnight snack!
LisaD
September 4, 2023
These look great. But what does "turn out" mean?
Beth
September 4, 2023
Literally, turn over and empty unto a small dish. It will be runny on the bottom and a light, airy cake on the top which will become the bottom when you put it on the dish. You don't eat it out of the custard cup (well you could, it would taste just as good but wouldn't look as nice.)
LisaD
September 4, 2023
LOL, that's what I would have guessed. But the picture looks so pretty "right-side up" that it wouldn't have occurred to me to upend them!
Renee P.
April 5, 2023
I was doubtful this would turn out well when I made it. As I added the egg whites it was kind of lumpy and I thought it would not work. Alas, my cute little ramekins looked great and were scrumptiously delicious. I didn't put in a whole cup of sugar and they were plenty sweet. Great, easy recipe.
Beth
April 5, 2023
Why do you say "alas"? Sounds like your recipe turned out perfect. You can make it in a 1 1/2 Qt or 2 qt. casserole too, that's what I do. Not as pretty to serve, but tastes just as good. This was my mother's recipe, and I'm 90 so you know how old it is. Lumpy eggwhites don't matter, if you smooth out the batter too much, it won't rise right.
Beth
April 7, 2023
Check it after 45 minutes, it should be light brown on top like the little ones. If not, keep checking every couple of minutes. You really can't ruin it, but it might get thicker if you overcook it. I doubt it would burn on the bottom in a ceramic dish unless you totally forget it.
Jeanne V.
March 27, 2023
This looks amazing! Planning to make it tomorrow. Can anyone tell me about the beautiful footed dishes it is served in?
Pam
March 26, 2023
This recipe sounds so perfect for Easter or any spring occasion. A must try for me!
Would Food 52 be able to tell us where the 3 footed glass cups were found? I would like to find them too!
Would Food 52 be able to tell us where the 3 footed glass cups were found? I would like to find them too!
gremolata
April 23, 2022
A favorite recipe, was on my
chef school menu, and also a very delicious version was on the menu at Hammersley in Boston! Very special dessert!
chef school menu, and also a very delicious version was on the menu at Hammersley in Boston! Very special dessert!
Virginia H.
February 14, 2020
It came out perfect! I didn't have dessert for our Valentine's dinner. Read the recipe a few hours ago in the car, asked my husband if we had milk. Yep! I made it with Myer lemons, fast, easy, lemony custard, and it was delicious. What a treasure! Thank you so much!
Elizabeth V.
October 21, 2019
This is my absolute favorite dessert. The recipe comes out perfect every time and we fight over them in my family.
Beth
October 21, 2019
Absolutely! I think some folks expected a thick custard on the bottom, and mine never comes out that way. It's more like a sauce on the bottom, quite thin but totally delicious. I do it in a 1 quart casserole dish, maybe it would come out more solid in individual custard cups. Wonderful either way, though.
Beth
April 5, 2019
This was my mother's recipe and I'm 86, so you know how old it is. I don't do the yolks & milk separately, just add them after creaming the rest. The whites have to be beaten in another bowl of course, and added carefully.
The pudding part is quite runny and the sponge is very light when baked. It's done when the time is up and top is lightly brown, poking with a toothpick won't work because it's too wet inside. This is delicious using orange juice and coconut, too.
The pudding part is quite runny and the sponge is very light when baked. It's done when the time is up and top is lightly brown, poking with a toothpick won't work because it's too wet inside. This is delicious using orange juice and coconut, too.
Ram
August 6, 2018
Recipe says "In a large bowl, cream butter. Add sugar, flour salt, lemon juice and rind. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks; stir in milk. Slowly add second mixture to first mixture.". After I did this the mixture was completely lquid. Is this how it is supposed to be? If so how do you fold the beaten stiff egg whites into it?
My problem is that I got the custard part right but the sponge part didnt seem to come out very thick. Thanks!
Ram
My problem is that I got the custard part right but the sponge part didnt seem to come out very thick. Thanks!
Ram
Beth
October 21, 2019
It will be pretty liquidy. Fold the beaten eggwhites in carefully, I usually break up big lumps but leave a lot of little chunks of eggwhite. When you bake it, it will separate naturally into soft sponge on top and quite liquid pudding on the bottom. Don't expect the pudding to get firm, it won't.
rachel
February 21, 2016
My grandmother lived in Hillsville, right near Galax, and my uncle recently moved to Galax. Loved my grandmothers country style home cooking -- I'm sure making these for my dad would evoke memories of his childhood and mean a lot, as she passed a few years ago. I don't usually comment but I wanted to thank you for sharing!
Graham
February 19, 2016
Very good, wonderfully light, but I like the Joy of Cooking recipe slightly more.
Kristin
February 17, 2016
Okay what did I do wrong? Beautifully browned on top but remained a soup underneath- despite baking for 60 minutes. I made in a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish and used up one of my duck eggs in place of one of the chicken eggs....any ideas? So bummed. Went into the trash.
Beth
October 21, 2019
It's supposed to be soupy on the bottom! That's the pudding part, with a nice light sponge on top.
Amy
February 16, 2016
Wondering if you can provide the source for the beautiful footed glass ramekins that the souffle is shown in (in the photo). Thanks.
Renee B.
July 25, 2018
Do these coddlers (footed ramekins) work in the oven? They're made for cooking eggs in water. I love the shape but fear they won't work for this recipe.
lmeberhart
April 17, 2022
It appears these are no longer available - although I see your post is from 2016 !!! Ugh, they are adorable.
SallyAnn W.
February 15, 2015
Made it in a single 2qt soufflé dish and it's came out perfect. Wish this thread allowed photos to be added
Alice
September 2, 2014
Where can you buy those lovely glass cups???
Greenstuff
September 3, 2014
Provisions; they are egg coddlers. https://food52.com/provisions/search?q=egg+coddlers
Alice
September 3, 2014
Ok the ones that are in provisions are definitely not the ones pictured in the recipe :(
Lisa A.
May 14, 2014
How far up the sides of the cups should the water be? How full should the cups be?
Tom S.
April 6, 2014
Not sure I understand "1 lemon, grated rind and juice". Does this mean you use the white rind in addition to the zest? I thought you have to carefully grate the zest off of the rind to avoid a bitter taste. Anyone? Thank you.
Lisanne
March 21, 2014
Yummy! I made them in coffee cups, they unmolded beautifully without benefit of cooking spray! A lovely light finish to lunch,
JenTop
February 12, 2014
Due to its custard-like texture (in the bottom of the ramekin), how will I know when it's done? I would imagine doneness may be gauged by checking the sponge (or top portion) with a toothpick. Is this correct? I very much look forward to making this!
Superyalda
January 24, 2014
I made these tonight and served them with caramel oranges with cardamom on the side http://food52.com/recipes/9264-caramel-oranges-with-cardamom
OMG! These are like lemon custard topped with lemon cheesecake! Made them exactly as directed and they came out absolutely perfect. I ended up with 7 servings.
They come out of the cup pretty easily too, so I was able to plate it with a oranges. Spectacular! It's midnight. The dishes are done. I'm going to get another one!
OMG! These are like lemon custard topped with lemon cheesecake! Made them exactly as directed and they came out absolutely perfect. I ended up with 7 servings.
They come out of the cup pretty easily too, so I was able to plate it with a oranges. Spectacular! It's midnight. The dishes are done. I'm going to get another one!
Lori
November 6, 2013
I'd like to make these, but can't eat wheat. What might I use as a replacement for the flour? Would cornstarch work?
sfpipeline
April 6, 2014
I used a commercial gluten-free flour, but you could make your own mix: 3 c. rice flour
1 c. cornstarch
1 c. tapioca starch
1 c. potato flour
1 c. cornstarch
1 c. tapioca starch
1 c. potato flour
mudpuppy
November 4, 2013
These are beyond fantastic! I used 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars to bake them.... then you can put the lids on after they are cool to transport. Was a complete hit! I always use at least double lemon.......
faded-elegance
September 8, 2013
Nearly identical to a recipe from a (Betty Crocker?) Cookbook for Two someone gave me for a shower gift over 45 years ago, before we all knew how to cook. I lost the book a long time ago but have kept on baking this because it's so reliably good. It's delicious with any citrus (or a combination of citrus) rind and can handle addition of fresh blueberries, raspberries or rhubarb tossed with sugar if made in one large pan. Try it with buttermilk for a more interesting flavor.
MEPhotoGirl
April 7, 2013
Baked this last night. Easy and delicious! Served with a fresh thyme sugar syrup. Perfection!
gremolata
February 23, 2013
i love this recipe...Where do you find the 3 footed little jam jar?
Weck has a jar, not as good looking as the one you have!
Weck has a jar, not as good looking as the one you have!
Garry H.
January 22, 2013
Will I be able to bake these earlier on in the day and then reheat for dinner time?
EmilyNunn
September 8, 2013
Gary, you don't need to heat them up. They are great at room temperature and cold. In fact, I don't really like them hot. So I'd make them, put them in the fridge, and pull them out when you start serving dinner.
Please S.
January 18, 2013
Wonder what these would taste with grapefruit. Plenty of grapefruit on hand.
AEC
January 11, 2013
These are wonderful in every way. Quick, easy & cheap, yet with elegant results. Kids and adults both gobbled them up and wanted more. I think any citrus would work. Bravo. (BTW: I only had low-fat milk on hand and still terrific.)
Marc O.
November 20, 2012
This is an unbelievable photo, idea and recipe. Looking at it reminded me of how food can provoke such deep emotion. My 12 year old daughter/chef made a batch of madeleines last week, a small French sponge cake. When I put the 3 minute video of her doing it on my Culinary Compass blog I added some words from the French novelist Marcel Proust. Those words totally apply to Aunt Mariah's lemon sponge cups. He writes: No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me." You can watch Olivia at work and read the rest of the Proust quote at http://www.marcs-culinary-compass.com/2012/11/episode-101.html
Alexandra H.
March 2, 2013
Hi, Marc! I really enjoyed this budding chef's demo- what a remarkable and poised young chef! Very nice that you can cook and share culinary adventures together. Keep up the good work:)!
Marc O.
March 11, 2013
I know. How lucky am I? Can I put you on our email list? If so just send me an email to [email protected] or you can sign-up on the Culinary Compass FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/MarcsCulinaryCompass
Amani
September 17, 2012
Hello! I was wondering if i could make these in the morning, and bake them at night? The look so lovely!
sfpipeline
September 18, 2012
If you make them early, bake them early too. Those whipped egg whites aren't going to wait all day for you to put them into the oven.
sfpipeline
September 17, 2012
I have a couple of recipes that are almost exactly like this one that I have made many times. One calls for plain milk and the other one calls for buttermilk. Try using buttermilk sometime, it's delicious! Also, who makes the glass baking dish in the image - I love it.
alice_kim
September 2, 2012
Just made these to use up our super-ripe lemons! So quick and easy (though the wait time while in the oven was agonizing :P). I don't eat wheat, so I subbed the flour for brown rice flour, and didn't have milk so used SoDelicious' Coconut Milk instead (not the canned full-fat kind meant for baking/cooking). I also reduced the amount of sugar but added a bit more lemon zest!
The slightly crystallized spongy crust right out of the oven was delicious. I made too many so I'm going to refrigerate them and just enjoy them as a kind of pudding!
The slightly crystallized spongy crust right out of the oven was delicious. I made too many so I'm going to refrigerate them and just enjoy them as a kind of pudding!
sally L.
August 22, 2012
A similar recipe was on my test to graduate from a culinary school!Hammersley Bistro in Boston had a similar dessert on the menu for years, if not still. Some recipes have rich cream instead of milk.
Eat your cake and pudding at the same time,laced with fresh Lemon.Good chilled and as soon as you can without burning your tender lips.
Eat your cake and pudding at the same time,laced with fresh Lemon.Good chilled and as soon as you can without burning your tender lips.
Robin F.
July 28, 2012
The very first recipe I made from Food 52 and it was awesome. Rave reviews from the family and definitely a keeper.
The G.
March 19, 2012
This is delicious! Also, try substituting the lemon with chocolate. I used a double-boiler to melt some dark chocolate and mixed that into the batter.
MissSpicy
February 28, 2012
So delicious and the perfect end to a meal . . . made these for a dinner party Saturday night . . . so simple to make and turned out perfect in white ramekins . . . made six . . . the sponge cake was soft and the custard was creamy and just the right lemony tartness . . . topped with fresh whipped cream . . . yummy . . . this is a keeper recipe for me!
CharlieR
October 23, 2011
This looks wonderful!
Could you tell me though where you got the glass bowls?
Could you tell me though where you got the glass bowls?
Dazzle-dae
February 3, 2013
So,if you didn't get any from YO mama, try JENAer Glas Wagenfeld egg coddler (2? sizes available, EXPENSIVE, but a Bauhaus designer classic)
whitsy
July 2, 2011
I don't have a lemon on hand, any way to use lemon juice? Maybe the measurement of it?
MyCommunalTable
July 2, 2011
I just tried to measure this about a month ago. It was different depending on the lemon itself. I came up with 3T as average. Hope that this helps. This is such a good recipe.
whitsy
July 2, 2011
Thank you for the tip! I found 2T on another website, so I ended up with maybe between 2T and 3T. They're in the oven now!
MyCommunalTable
July 2, 2011
I can't image that it makes a huge difference in this recipe. I can't wait to hear how it turned out. It has been a huge success in my house.
whitsy
July 2, 2011
Delicious!! Going to add a bit more lemon juice next time though, they don't have quite the lemon taste I was hoping for, I love lemon!! But otherwise, perfect.
ellenl
March 12, 2011
I adore this recipe and, like others, really want to buy those egg coddlers! Many thanks.
artsycella
February 10, 2011
Yum! I saw this on here yesterday and had to make it right away! My cups turned out perfectly, even though there were a few points I was a little confused about when attempting to follow the directions. I didn't know how long to beat the egg yolks, or whether I should use a beater to incorporate the yolks into the flour/sugar/butter mixture, or just a spoon. I also didn't know if it matter how high the water bath came up to on the sides of the cups. Anyway, whatever I did, they turned out to have perfect texture, a great contrast between the custard the the airy cake. They looked beautiful and tasted so good I helped myself to two of them.
wanderash
February 10, 2011
Another beautiful family recipe!! Congrats! This is very similar to one of my fav desserts to make, which is a batter of lemon curd and meringue baked in a pretty little dish. I make it for guests a lot, because they too make me feel fancy :)
TheWimpyVegetarian
February 10, 2011
I just got an email from one of my cousins who lives next door to Aunt Mariah's daughter - your cousin?, and is her business partner, and just had these for dessert tonight at her home. That's gotta win a prize for "it's a small world"!! My cousin described these as luscious! Now I HAVE to make them!!
Daphne
February 9, 2011
Was just thinking about this recipe, what a coincidence : ) love the glass egg coddlers too, maybe William Sonoma will pick up this line....
MrsWheelbarrow
February 9, 2011
I loved this recipe when you first posted, and I love it again today. How did I forget to make it in the last 9 months? Thanks, A&M for highlighting it again!
Guy
February 9, 2011
http://www.zwieselkristallglas-shop.com/shop/cms/magazine/jena/2011-01/specials/special.html
TheWimpyVegetarian
February 9, 2011
Love this! Congrats on your wildcard win, ENunn! Well-deserved. And I LOVE the little egg coddling cups! So perfect.
NWB
February 9, 2011
Congrats! We just had these for dessert. They were so easy and delicious! I bet they would be great with a bunch of different citrus combinations. I can't wait to try orange and anise--my personal favorite citus/spice combo.
Greenstuff
February 9, 2011
My mother was a cook rather than a baker, but she did occasionally make something much like these, especially if my father's mother was visiting. My grandmother was one who'd eat dessert first if that were an option, and she loved lemon pudding cakes. My mother would have laughed at us gushing over egg-coddling cups, but she would have liked the idea of the individual servings.
Lizthechef
February 9, 2011
As soon as I can get back into my kitchen, this recipe is at the top of my list. Bowl of ripe Meyer lemons are staring at me...Congrats!
gingerroot
February 9, 2011
Congrats on a lovely Wildcard win! I found a similar recipe in a recent Edible Hawaiian Islands and made it with calamansi instead of lemon. I can't wait to try your version - I like the idea of individual ramekins better than one large souffle dish (which is what I used).
Eliana60
February 9, 2011
This recipe looks great! I love lemon and can't wait to try these. But the ramekins in the photo look FABULOUS too! I covet them with their little raindrop feet. Are they family heirlooms or can you tell me where to get them?
Food52
February 9, 2011
They're actually German egg coddling cups (they come with a glass lid & metal fasteners) that Amanda picked up in Paris and hasn't been able to find again since. If anyone knows of a source, please share! (so she doesn't have a breakdown the next time one shatters)
mtrelaun
February 9, 2011
The egg coddlers are made by Jenaer, and they're difficult to find in the US. If you don't mind some crazy shipping costs, they're easy to source on European websites.
artsycella
February 9, 2011
I second mtrelaun. I found a couple of listings below. They're gorgeous--I think I may be ordering a few myself.
http://www.connox.com/categories/cooking/cooking-and-backing-dishes/jenaer-glas-wagenfeld-egg-coddler.html
http://www.pleaseandthankyou.co.uk/jenaer-wagenfeld-glass-egg-coddlers.html
http://www.connox.com/categories/cooking/cooking-and-backing-dishes/jenaer-glas-wagenfeld-egg-coddler.html
http://www.pleaseandthankyou.co.uk/jenaer-wagenfeld-glass-egg-coddlers.html
allie
February 9, 2011
amanda, any hope we could convince one of the us based shops featured on food52 to carry these?
Eliana60
February 9, 2011
Thanks for the links everyone! But I will be in Paris in April and this was going to be among the things I was going to make it my mission to find there. I'd be very happy to see them in the Food 52 store though.
aargersi
February 9, 2011
Yay and Congrats! These look fantastic - we have the ingredients in house - hmmmmm
ChefJune
February 9, 2011
Oh, I KNOW I'm going to try these. I LOVE lemon desserts, and pudding. What a great addition to the new book. Congrats!
healthierkitchen
April 23, 2010
These are lovely! And, actually, for a dessert, not too terribly bad for you.
EmilyNunn
April 20, 2010
Thanks, gang! I am making this again tonight, actually, for, I believe, the fifth time since I got back from Galax and snooping around Aunt Mariah's recipe boxes. It's so good, and seems so old-fashioned to me. Make sure you use a big fresh lemon, and not some old ratty thing. I love anything with lemon, too! If Aunt Mariah were my mom, I'd enter it. But no. I should put her picture up, anyway. She's so lovely!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 20, 2010
I love these! I have a similar recipe that uses buttermilk that this reminds me of. Perfect for a light dessert. Thanks for posting this!
aargersi
April 20, 2010
Mmmm - this is turning into a banner week - great recipes and better yet great stories ... thanks to all of our moms and aunts and grandmas and great grandmas
MrsWheelbarrow
April 20, 2010
Love this recipe! It's like a lemon bar and a lemon souffle all in one.
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