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Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

Wildcard Contest Winner!

Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

Photo 1 of 3
by Sarah Shatz

Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

Photo 2 of 3
by Splash of Something

Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

Photo 3 of 3
by ENunn

  • A&M's Testing Notes: We're so glad ENunn unearthed her Aunt Mariah's version of this classic lemon pudding cake -- its evocative name, mellowed lemon pucker and bare sweetness thoroughly won us over. In one fell...

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    ENunn's Notes: I found the recipe for these lemon sponge cups in my Aunt Mariah's old-fashioned recipe box (an actual box), when I was visiting with her in my hometown, Galax, Virginia, to learn how to make...

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Serves 4-6

  1. Preheat oven to 350. 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. Beat egg whites until stiff; gently fold into mixture. Pour into ramekins or individual souffle dishes and place in pan of hot water. Bake in "moderate" oven (350, in my case) for 45 minutes. You will have a layer of lemon custard, with gorgeous, lightly browned sponge on top. Let cool a bit. Turn out and serve with whipped cream, or serve still in the dish. You can also bake this in one large souffle dish. Aunt Mariah likes to garnish with a thin slice of lemon.

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56 Comments on Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups

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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.

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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!

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This looks wonderful!

Could you tell me though where you got the glass bowls?

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From yo mama! Lolz...

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From yo mama! Lolz...

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I don't have a lemon on hand, any way to use lemon juice? Maybe the measurement of it?

Hib_kitchen Reply

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.

Reply

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!

Hib_kitchen Reply

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.

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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.

Capture_d’écran_2011-11-10_à_19 Reply

Just made them..Can't wait to see how they come out !

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I adore this recipe and, like others, really want to buy those egg coddlers! Many thanks.

0_240 Reply

can I make them the day before and store them in the fridge? and what do I put in individuals for them no to stick, butter with flour?

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I sprayed with a butter no-stick spray, and it turned out perfect.

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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.

Ashtaco Reply

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 :)

Hib_kitchen Reply

Congrats ENunn. What a lovely recipe. Well deserved!

Chocolate_peppermint_truffle_cookies_032 Reply

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!!

Dsc_0205 Reply

Was just thinking about this recipe, what a coincidence : ) love the glass egg coddlers too, maybe William Sonoma will pick up this line....

Img_1045_2 Reply

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!

Mrs Reply

Dang. One very similar to that just sold for $2.99 on Ebay! Fess up...who did it??

036 Reply

I looked for them on EBay too - I got a chicken one :-)

Chocolate_peppermint_truffle_cookies_032 Reply

Love this! Congrats on your wildcard win, ENunn! Well-deserved. And I LOVE the little egg coddling cups! So perfect.

Poppy_bone Reply

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.

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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.

Mrs Reply

Yay! This looks so so great! Congrats!!

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Thanks, you just chose my dessert for tonight.

Dsc03010 Reply

Lovely. Just lovely.

Newliztoqueicon-2 Reply

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!

Img_1958 Reply

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).

Summer_2010_1048 Reply

Delicious sounding! Congrats!

100_0933 Reply

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?

F52_avatar Reply

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)

Mlt_yogateau_1 Reply

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.

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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

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amanda, any hope we could convince one of the us based shops featured on food52 to carry these?

100_0933 Reply

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.

Lnd_jen Reply

Congratulations on your Wildcard win!

Cheese_for_twitter0001 Reply

Oh my, these look like a wonderful way to break my detox plan....

036 Reply

Yay and Congrats! These look fantastic - we have the ingredients in house - hmmmmm

Junepr05 Reply

Oh, I KNOW I'm going to try these. I LOVE lemon desserts, and pudding. What a great addition to the new book. Congrats!

Profile Reply

Nomnom! Congrats!

Ozoz_profile Reply

It sounds stunning - superb. I love the egg coddling cups...

Lobster_001 Reply

Mmmm, sounds good. Congrats!

Wedding_pictures_162 Reply

Wow--congratulations on the Wildcard win!

186003_1004761561_1198459_n Reply

Congrats on the Wildcard win. Great recipe!

Dsc_0382 Reply

These are lovely! And, actually, for a dessert, not too terribly bad for you.

Monkeys Reply

This looks so good! Will definitely try it.

Food52_photo Reply

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!

Mrs Reply

Oh, that looks so good.

Wedding_pictures_162 Reply

Yum...I love anything lemon.

Dscn0826 Reply

this one is looking like a winner to me

Chocolate_peppermint_truffle_cookies_032 Reply

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!

036 Reply

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

Img_1045_2 Reply

Love this recipe! It's like a lemon bar and a lemon souffle all in one.

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