[ Equipment: steam oven / convection oven (for steam baking) / boiling water steamer, a 6-1/7 (inch) baking dish or cake pan. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].
This lovely melt-in-mouth cake has a top layer of lemon-y custard goodness with lip puckering lemon flavor thanks to a heavy dose of lemon juice and lemon extract. It's poured into the pan as a single batter and separates into 2 layers as it bakes with the pudding layer on the bottom. Miele prepared the original recipe for their own line of steam ovens. That recipe made 16 mini cakes. I adapted it for a single 2-serving "large" cake for steam baking in a convection oven.
The only changes I made to Miele's ingredients roster was substituting lemon extract for lemon zest and some pinches of salt to bring out the cake's sweetness and a dash of lemon juice in the egg white to stabilize it for whipping. I also changed the mixing procedure. To get that potent, bright lemon flavor, the lemon juice went into the batter after the milk had been combined with the fat. I tried one cake where the lemon juice reacted with the milk in a small bowl first (to make a sour milk), and it wrecked the lemon flavor.
The amount of flour appeared to determine the size of the pudding layer. The less flour in the batter, the more custard formed. Up to 2 tablespoons of flour in the batter still left a thin, sticky coating of pudding.
The maximum temperature of Miele's standard steam ovens is 212°F/100°C, so the cake could have been baked in a stove-top steamer too. I steam baked it in a high humidity convection oven at 250°F/121°C. I also made one in low humidity oven. The two versions came out slightly different, with the most notable difference being that the pudding layer on the low humidity version was more liquid and the cake a little denser. Once the whipped cream and strawberries go on, the differences disappear.
Makes one 6-1/2 inch cake, 2 servings
- 275 calories per serving
- Oven Temperature: 250°F/121°C (steam baking) or 212°F/100°C (steaming)
- 1 large egg, separated
- 2 tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/16 + 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil spread
- 1/4 cup milk
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 4 strawberries, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup Cool Whip or sweetened whipped cream
1. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white, 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract, 1/16 teaspoon salt until frothy.
2. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of sugar in 2 portions, beating until glossy with stiff peaks. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, cream softened butter or vegetable spread with 2 tablespoons sugar.
4. Mix in the egg yolk and 1/16 teaspoon salt.
5. Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract and milk.
6. Whisk in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Do NOT add the lemon juice at the same time as the milk in step 5, because it will affect the lemon flavor.
7. Whisk in the flour.
8. Stir in in 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg white to give the egg mixture a tiny bit of volume.
9. Fold in the remaining beaten egg white. Pour batter into a 6-1/2 baking dish or pan.
10.
Steam Oven or Boiling Water Steamer: Pre-heat oven according to instructions or bring water in steamer to a boil.
Convection Oven Steam Baking (details here): Fill 1/2 of water tray with boiling water. Do NOT cover the water tray. Preheat oven to reach an internal temperature of 250°F/121°C.
11. Place pan on trivet.
12. If steam baking, bake for 30 minutes or until surface is dry and slightly cracked. If steaming in a boiling water steamer or steam oven, check for doneness after 15 to 20 minutes.
13. Cool. Slide knife around edge of cake to loosen it and unmold onto a plate.
14. Spread top of cake with a layer of Cool Whip or sweetened whipped cream.
15. Slice strawberries and place on top of cake.
16. Slice and serve.
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