Wouldn't you know, it was Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley who made it popular in the 1990s.
A light and refreshing desert with a pudding like texture and a crunchy crust. This cake is easy to make. Right now my lemon trees are full of lemons. I have been picking them as soon as they are ripe and sharing them with friends and neighbors. Actually, my lemon trees are a hedge along the driveway in front of my garage facing a busy street. Often people take some, which I usually don't mind until last year when someone came and picked all my lemons. I was not a happy camper because these lemons are my treasure and I take pride in caring for them. My favorite are the Meyer’s lemons with their thin aromatic peel and fleshy fruit that is sweeter than others. They are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin or orange. Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture, brought a plant in 1908 from China. Wouldn't you know, it was Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley who made it popular in the 1990s. I have a jar of preserved lemons in my fridge and a bowl of lemons on my kitchen counter. When I run out of my own lemons, I get some from a mature tree in my neighbor, Josephine’s, garden. She graciously shares them with me. The recipe I'm going to share with you comes from Deborah Madison's cookbook The Savory Way. This one, in addition to her Greens cookbook, have recipes from her days as a chef at Greens, a wonderful vegetarian restaurant near the waterfront at Fort Mason in San Francisco. This restaurant was a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement almost 30 years ago. Anyway, I have used these two cookbooks for many years and they have never failed me. I have made this lemon pudding cake many times and always get rave reviews. It is easy to make and has a sweet and lemony flavor. I serve it with some fruit, like raspberries or blueberries, and sometimes with a dollop of whipped cream. Here are some more desserts using lemons . Click on the photos for the recipe. My Lemon and Buttermilk Sorbet is easy to make. It is refreshing any time of the year. A light treat after a heavy meal. This Almond Lemon Cake has a distinct lemony taste because whole cooked lemons are being used. The almonds add crunch and one can taste a hint of ginger , a delight for the senses. A compact bread infused with lemon juice. Take a break in the afternoon and have a piece of this tasty cake with a cup of tea.
56 Comments
Gerlinde
2/14/2016 07:37:48 pm
I am lucky but most of my lemons have been picked again. Lots of people walk by my house and can't resist the temptation.
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 07:39:06 pm
I thought it was pretty nasty myself.
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 07:40:47 pm
You are very welcome Charlotte!
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2/13/2016 01:27:02 pm
That lemon pudding cake recipe is right up my alley. Can't wait to give it a try!
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:03:00 pm
Let me know how it turned out.
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2/13/2016 02:02:50 pm
How I wish I was your neighbor and I would ask before picking! You should put up a sign - I think that's awful someone would steal another persons citrus and hard work. I don't understand people but I do understand a love of lemon anything!
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:07:28 pm
If you were my neighbor I would share my lemons with you . I was thinking putting up a sign that said: "These lemons are sprayed with a toxic substance, don't touch."
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:09:33 pm
I enjoy sharing and finding new friends in cyber space.
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2/13/2016 05:50:02 pm
You have my undivided attention Gerlinde! Lemon desserts are a favorite of mine! I would love a huge slice of the Lemon Pudding Cake, just scrumptious.
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:10:36 pm
I be glad to make it for you !
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2/13/2016 11:57:24 pm
Lovely cake, Gerlinde, that's a fabulous way to use Meyer lemons which I adore. I was so sad when I had to leave my tree behind in CA but luckily found a little one here a few years ago and could harvest a few Meyer lemons again. I would have been livid if someone picked all my lemons, not nice.
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:14:29 pm
I was upset when all my lemons were gone. Luckily I have my neighbors tree.
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:19:24 pm
I like to see your mother's recipe David.
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2/14/2016 08:47:39 am
How wonderful to have your own lemons! I can imagine the smell permeating the house. The pudding cake looks scrumptious too! Beautiful post, Gerlinde. Hugs.
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:24:06 pm
I love the small of fresh picked lemons. Unfortunately I don't have many left. Hugs to you Teagan !
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2/14/2016 08:48:21 am
My lemon trees are dripping too. It seems a better than average year. I'll need all this lemony inspiration. Thanks GREG
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:25:07 pm
There are never too many lemon recipes.
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Teagan R Geneviene
2/20/2016 10:06:23 am
I can agree with that! Love lemon! 2/14/2016 10:32:55 am
Yum! That cake looks so moist and full of delicious lemon flavor! What a great recipe, Gerlinde! Thanks for sharing! :D
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:27:57 pm
My lemon pudding cake is moist and full of lemon flavor. I have made it for many years.
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Lemon is my favourite flavour. If it is on offer the G.O. always know what my choice will be. I think my neighbours have a Meyer lemon from which they rarely seem to pick fruit. I find the lemons a little sweet for juicing and in tea but can see now how I could use them for baking desserts etc... which I would not doubt eat and then would need to take up a vigorous exercise program to counteract the effects!
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:30:06 pm
I seriously have to think about a vigorous exercise program myself.
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2/14/2016 07:44:33 pm
All of these recipes look wonderful Gerlinde! I LOVE anything lemon. It's always so refreshing! I am working on a little Meyer lemon recipe too and can't wait to share! That sorbet sounds terrific! My son Sean would love it!
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Gerlinde
2/14/2016 08:31:41 pm
The sorbet is refreshing and easy to make. The buttermilk gives it a rich flavor.
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2/15/2016 09:36:25 am
How wonderful to have your own source of lemons! I love anything with lemon and often bake lemon bread. I think I will try the recipe you shared. The photos are tempting!
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Gerlinde
2/16/2016 11:01:09 am
Thank you Jo, I am a big lemon fan myself.
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Chris
2/16/2016 11:55:14 am
Greetings Gerlinde,
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Gerlinde
2/16/2016 12:57:07 pm
Try it Chris, I am not sure how it will turn out. It might change the consistency of the sorbet. Let me know how it turned out.
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Chris
2/16/2016 03:48:52 pm
I don't think I want to experiment on second thought. I'll just use all buttermilk like your recipe calls for because I would hate to throw out all those good ingredients. :)
Gerlinde
2/17/2016 09:40:52 am
Have fun my friend!
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Gerlinde
2/21/2016 11:02:15 pm
Thank you Zaza for your nice comment.
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TheKitchenLioness
2/20/2016 11:40:50 am
Gerlinde, I love, love all things lemon and I cannot decide which one of your lovely lemony desserts I enjoy the most - they all look wonderful. I have never tasted a Meyer lemon but I have heard so many people rave about them. Lemony desserts will brighten even the most gloomy of days for me!
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Gerlinde
2/21/2016 11:10:51 pm
Hi Andrea, I could send you some of my lemons but I don't know if they can make the long journey without spoiling.
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Gerlinde
2/23/2016 10:02:08 pm
This is why I like blogging because I get to met people like you. You have a beautiful blog.
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2/21/2016 06:31:30 pm
Dear Gerlinde,
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Gerlinde
2/23/2016 10:13:21 pm
Oh Marylin , you made my day. I am so happy your mother liked the cake. Maybe I can help you with some other recipes. What other food does she like?
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I live in Southern California and have always wanted a citrus tree! Sadly I'm a renter so I don't really have a yard... I've never picked anyone else's citrus tho- I can't believe someone took ALL of them! This recipe sounds absolutely delicious and is exactly what I'm craving this time of year!
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Gerlinde
3/1/2016 04:15:54 pm
Sarah, I would gladly share my lemons with you.
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3/8/2016 07:58:50 pm
To say I'm a lemony dessert kind of girl is an understatement and I'm jealous of your lemon tree! I've been wanting a lemon, lime, and orange trees for quite some time.
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Gerlinde
3/8/2016 10:33:16 pm
Thank you Tamara, my lemon trees are a real treasure to me.
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5/14/2016 10:17:57 pm
"Often people take some" then I'm maybe one of them lol.
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Gerlinde
5/16/2016 04:46:41 pm
Hi Jeanette, you are right, lemon peel can be bitter, In the Lemon Almond Cake whole lemons are cooked which takes away some of the bitterness. This particular cake is not sweet , it has a nutty rich flavor.
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5/16/2016 08:55:10 pm
Hi Gerlinde,
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Gerlinde
5/19/2016 06:37:58 am
My favorite is the lemon pudding cake. It is light and not too sweet.
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mjs
3/8/2020 03:43:10 pm
I lived in ventura California in 1970 up to new years eve 1972..Down the street of where I lived was the largest lemon and avocado plant in all of southern California..I could walk down or bicycle down and ask the guards about the plant..Well they said see those lemon trees lining the place and avocado bushes one can pick up what falls down and enjoy the bounty..I thought they might be drunk so asked people who worked at the plant if this was true, yes they replied for the entire time I lived in that lovely town I ate lemons and avocados til I nearly burst..I never got a cold and I was happy..I think it was all the lemons and the avocados..I shared the bounty with my neighbor who lived in the unit next to me a sweet lady we lived in a duplex, I biked the town and walked and took the bus everywhere..I always remember those lemons and avocados oh, my goodness sakes alive..I was single and alone and remember that small town and its kind people..No one took more than they could in a small bag walking by..times surely have changed..Shame on people who are how can I say it pigs who raided your lemons..you seem like a nice person and would have given them some if they asked..Just another sad description of how people are not kind at all..but I think you will be rewarded with more lemons and that will make you happy and healthy and still the nice person you are..take care and have a peaceful and loving week!
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Gerlinde
4/4/2020 04:18:29 pm
I don't mind at all sharing but like you said, times have changed. My mother-in-law lived in a small town in the Central Valley and never locked her doors when I met her in 1977. You take care and stay healthy.
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Gerlinde
1/20/2021 04:16:10 pm
You are lucky, my husband is not a fan of anything lemony. His desserts have to be super sweet.
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