Skip to main content

Margaret Atwood's Baked Lemon Custard

4.6

(33)

As the batter bakes, it separates into two distinctive layers — cake on top and custard on the bottom.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter six 3/4-cup custard cups or ramekins. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend. Beat in egg yolks. Stir in flour in three additions alternately with buttermilk in two additions. Stir in lemon juice. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture. Divide batter among prepared cups. Place ramekins in roasting pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups.

    Step 2

    Bake until cakes are set in center and beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath. Serve hot or cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate.)

Read More
Like tiny tomato galettes and chimichurri grilled shrimp.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Choose your own adventure at the supermarket with marinated artichokes, beans, peppers, and of course, olives.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Like swordfish steaks with tomatoes and Peruvian-style tofu.
A reader favorite for almost 50 years, zhuzhed up for today’s cooks.
Thinly sliced and cooked hot and fast, pork tenderloin is the juicy, cook-quicking weeknight champion of this vegetable-heavy stir-fry.
Loosely inspired by pasta Amatriciana, a few pounds of zucchini stand in for tomatoes.